The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-26
Tale of an Engine With a
Wounded Pin-iOn.
Oneida Citizens Declare 1t an
Outrage.
COMPLAINT TO THE STATE
Tell Utilities Board of Trouble
ON s. j. & G.. /.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

The recent snow blockades over the
different railroad lines in Kansas have
occasioned many just and unjust.
strange and reasonable complaints and
protests from travellers and shippers
over the state to the utilities COM
mission. The record up to date had
been held by a man named Snoop in
Hodgeman county, who had kickeu
about 4 Santa Re engine in service in
his section of the country without q
cowcatcher OF pilot. But today anoth-
CT chapter was added 10 the book of
lamentations from Oneida. There is an
engine i'll service over the st. Joseph
& Grand Island road through that sec
ton that has seven broken spoles in
the fiddle driver on the right side AMI
a banded hub and pin.
The manager of the Oneida Motor
company files the complaint with the
utilities commission.
That engine is surely in bad shape,
according to this diagnosis. One bro
ken spoke, or even two, might be pass
ed over, but seven-never. And
banded hub! This is terrible. Then
there is a banded pin. That is the
last straw. Every one knows that
banded pin is a fatal defect to any
engine. With a bent pin the engine
could still do it's part, or a headless
pin, or a pointless pin. But a banded
pin stops the whole show. There is
certainly a state law somewhere on the
books that forbids a railroau company
from sending out an engine with
banded pin, and the commission VIII
spend the rest of the week looking
for that law.
OF course the seven broken spokes
in the middle right hand driver was
an oversight and hurts the looks Ga
the driver, but it is an established fact
that drivers do not have to have un-
broken spokes. A broken spoke is
sign of approaching age, and seven
broken spckeS denote seven badges of
honor given only after years of service
with wreck for every year. However, |
that banded hub is another matter and
ought to be attended to. 1t is bad
enough to have a braided hub, and some |
foremen will even send an
engine out with a surcingle around the |
hub, but this matter of the band on
the hub is unconventional to say the |
least.
Bucking snowdrifts 40 feet high S
hard on engines but there is no ex- |
cuse for putting a band around the /
hub of any engine. Even an engine |
in a drifted cut is entitled to some
freedom. A coupling pin Or a car seal |
would have looked better and answer |
ed the purpose just as well.
The ST. Joseph & Grand Island peo- |
pie made a great mistake in allowing |
one of their engines to be treated this |
way and the utilities commission be- |
ieves that it will fire the horse doc |
tor at the roundhouse VINO has charge |
Of it's engines as soon as this matter |
is laid before the right of way depart
ment.
A beaded smokestack would have
been overlooked, or a hairpin in the
exhaust, but they can't put bands on
the hubs or pins and get away with
t. a headlight garnished with belt
buckles was overlooked last week, but
he Oneida people can gamble their
asst dime that there will be no more
oands on the pins or hubs of any
St. j. & G. I. engines for many
ong day and night
If this infringement is allowed to
BASS without punishment some rail-
Dad will be wanting to humiliate one
If it's engines by putting a draWbridge
IN the steambox, or a rune on the
hrottle, or a diagonal on the whistle
The matter of the Santa F'e engine
n Hodgeman county without a cow
.atcher has been attended to. Frank
farrell has Just returned from there
md reports the excitement over the
outrage dying down. And this Oneida
evolution will be settled this week
md reparation made if the utilities
has to so there in a body
n get IL done,