The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-07-29
RAILROADS TO SLOW UP
THEIR CHICAGO FL|ERS
Service Commission Wants to
Reduce Time in Winter
and Spring.
RESULT or WRECK INQUIRY
Report on Hyde Park Smash
Says Companies viii Listen
TO suggestion.

central and the Pennsylvania railroads
during the winter and early spring is the
outcome Of the invest cation which the
Public Service Commission has made of
the wreck Of the I wentieth Century
Limited at Hyde Park on March IL last
II is stated in the report Of the invest l.
cation that this proposal has been favora-
bly, received by the officers Of both COM
panies and that a wish to reach an agree
ment on the subject has been indicated.
The invest gation Of tho wreck has con :
vinccd the commission that the RESPONSE
biity for the derailmen; is not to be laid
to a defective or broken rail. but TO an ir-
regularity in the superelevation Of the
outer rail on the curve at which the acci-
dent happened. The broken rail was
rather the result than the cause Of the
accident. in the opinion Of the commis-
sion, but il is made entirely clear in the
report of its findings that the commission
believes tho high speed az which the train
is known 10 have been moving initiated
agains' the chances Of tho locomotive re-
naming on the tracks in spite Of the ir-
regularity in rail elevation which il en-
countercd.
At the point where the accident occurred
the curve was within the limits adopted
by high speed railroads. The outer rail
was supposed 10 he elevated about four
inches to permit the safe passag" Of high
speed trains. In a distance Of about
fifty feet, however. there appeared "A drop
in elevation from a. inches to p. INCHES.
This drop is about equal to the height of
the fanges on engine trucks and driving
wheels and would be sufficient to cause
a serious lurch in the locomotive with a
sudden increase in pressure against the
outer rail
While in this as in other accidents the
destruction Of tho rail made positive COM
clusions impossible. the commission be-
;eves that the outer rail turned over near
the low spot. While it is possible tha,
the passage Of previous trains may have
looaened the spikes holding the rails, it
is the commissions idea that the high
speed AT which the Twentieth Century
Limited was moving when it reached the
rail depression caused this turning over.
Commenting on this the report says:
The important element 10 consider Is the
necessity OF ontinuous high speeds imposed
by the maintenance OF fast long distance
schedules during the winter. The record
oi accidents 10 fast trains during the past
year raises the question whether the sched-
ules are not too fast for safety II appears
to be evident that whatever the factor
of safety may bc in summer II must he ma
terially reduced under winter conditions
Unavoidable delays TO trains in winter
are frequent and lead TO pressure upon the
engineers 10 make up time and upon the
operating officers 10 permit il. This results
in degrees Of tension of operation which
is uniavorable to safety or to the uniformity
Of train service which the public needs
The subject has been discussed with the
principal operating officers OF the New Yorl,
Central and Pennsylvania. The proposal
TO lpnYthen the schedules of these trains
in " inter has been favorablv received by the
officers Of both oompanies and wish to
reach an agreement on the subJec, has been
indicated. As a result We expect that the
schedule of the Twentieth Century Limited
trains between New York and Chicago will
be heightened from eighteen to twenty
hours next winter.
This action We believe will he conducive
10 safety. to the maintenance of a more
uniform service of trains on time and de-
creased int"rferance with local pa ssenger
trains, We hop" that similar considera ion
will be given Ia the lengthenng of the
schedules Of other OF the fast trains
Considerable attention is given in the
report 10 Il study of the speed records
OF the Southwestern Limited. New York
Central Limited. Twentieth Century Linn
tied and Empire State Express. As 10 the
speed Of the Twentieth Century on the
day OF the Aaccident, il il stated that
Judging blythe train sheet. Speeds of at
least seventy miles an hour We're reached
at two points on this run The train was
hour and ~ minutes late. and the desire
OF engineers to show good running record
leads them to make up as much time
AZ practicable on these important trains"
A table of speed records for the trains
mentioned for February and March for
the Hudson division between Albany and
Croton shows that of 2SO cases OF high
speed IL? were between sixty and seventy
miles an hour. 122 were between seventy
and eighty miles an hour and twenty -six
were over eighty miles an hour The need
OF reliable speed indicators is emphasized
in the interest of safe running In con-
cluding the report says
The preparation Of this report comes at
the end Of five years Of the commission a
work. during which period every important
accident in this State has been carefully
investigated and its possible lessons con-
sidered. A "a result Of that study We be-
IltNt tHdI tHe DlDllt HhPu IL IDT an improved
service Of trains on time and with certain
connections. rather than for very fast ser
vice. and We think that safety will he de-
cdcdly promoted by a reduction OF speed
especially in the winter season.
The report of the commission was
shown to the railroad company, and
Vice President A. II. Smith makes the
following comment on the accident.
Notwithstanding the most thorough in
vestigation which has been made by your
commission. by other investigating bodies
and by the railroad itself, We are inclined
to regard the cause OF the derailment as
entirely too uncertain to restrict remedial
agencies to any single theory.
We are disposed to receive and net upon
every reasonable explanation which has
been made. All tracks will becoms slightly
irregular in their surface. particularly dur
ing sever" winter weather such as We ha ve
experienced during the past year
The theory of the malicious tamlcrinu y
with the track or obstruction should not
he disrcgarded I believe the records Of
the commission viii show numerous Al
tsppta, u an3ca or more. within the i.s,
eighteen months To derail tains by pla cinu
upon IN" track angle bars. pieces or iron.
stones. crossIies aud other obstr,Irtions
The traspassing upon railroad tracks il
wanlon ana a constant menace to the
trevellinx public, regardless Of the risk TO