New-York tribune., 1912-02-16
Talk OF SAFER RAILS
railroads and Manufacturers
r,isclIss Need for Better Quality.
coNFERENCE UNANIMOUS
o..ent Fatal Accidents, 1t Is
Said. Stir Up Consideration
of Problem.

,esult. II is understood, of tho num-
~ fatal railroad accidents that have
.,,,.d throughout the country IN the last
o,tbs due 10 defective rails, repre-
...,,vAs Of practically all the railroads
:, ,,s country and heads OF the steel rail
.,.nutacturing companies held conference
:, ,tts city Yesterday TO consider the sub
~, Of improving If possible, the character
and quality Of rails.
rbs meeting. which was called by eX-
,sd16 ?. II. Gary, chairman of the United
eLtss steel Corporation. who presided was
- Il The Railroad Club, in the Hudson
sl.,oinaI Building, and lasted all day. Fol
otins The conference Judge Gary said:
s,der a full discussion of the whole sub
a., IN which nearly every one present par
.,o,nsted. a committee. consisting of all the
...on,bers Of the executive committee of the
,,rsrcan Railway Association and the
.rssdents of the steel rail manufacturing
somnanies. was appointed 10 tabulate the
d,,a already obtained and to receive fur
,ber information on the subject and report
,beir recommendations at future meeting
o. No called hy the chairman"
t;s added that at was tho unanimous
.,hijmsnt OF tho conference that everything
,rac,hrsbla should he adopted 10 secure
rs1 that IS entirely safe
Tbe committee named TO look into the
rsu question consists of Presidents Willard
~ tho Baltimore & Ohio. Loree Of tho
n.,syare & Hudson, Nudge Of the Rock
Island. president Kruttschnitt of the
hartman lines and several other railway
osicials. and Presidents Dinkey Of the Car
,asie Steel Company, Burlington OF the IL
unois Steel Company. Schwab Of the Beth
,sbeu steel Corporation. Clarke Of the
Isckawanna Steel Company, Wood of the
Naryland Steel Company, FELTON, Of tho
Pennsylvania steel Company, Price Of the
cambria Steel Company, Crawford Of the
Tennessee Coal. Iron and Railroad Com
raps and Farrell Of the United states Steel
Cotporation.
The committee will meet at a date 20 he
fixed BY Chairman Gary. which, II was
announced. would probably be within a
week or ten days.
There has been controversy between the
railroads and the steel rail manufacturing
companies over tho steel rail question for
several years. but no satisfactory solution OF
,ae problem has been reached. The railroad
men declare the quality of steel rails is not
as good as It was before the Steel Corpora
lion was formed when they say all rails
we're guaranteed, whereas now no guaran-
,ee is given Tho rail manufacturers as
sert. on the contrary that the quality OF
steel rails has improved materially IN the
last few years, but that the demands made
On the rails have largely increased in re-
cent years because OF the heavier cars and
locomotives now in use.
The recent accidents due 20 breaking rails
appear 70 have convinced railroad men and
steel manufacturers alike that a better rail
Is necessary 10 meet the demands Of mod
en- traffic. and satisfactory solution or
The problem OF manufacturing rail- that
viii stand up under present traffic condi-
tons IS looked for. now that the railroad
and steel companies have got together on
the proposition.
One steel rail manufacturer suggested
yesferdev that the railroads were calling
for too much carbon content in their steel
raii specifications Carbon, he said, hard
enc steel and gives the rail a longer NE
hut !, also makes it more brittle and there
fore more likely to break under sudden
shock
The logical solution of the whole rail
problem, according 10 another manufactur-
or, Is heavier rail than is now in use. )
would not be surprised he added. IF the
conference held to-day resulted in the adop-
ton Of a much heavier rail II the rail-
roads used heavier rails We would not hear
so much about breaka ges."
L VAS pointed out that in the event OF
The adoption Of a heavier rail by the rail-
road companies the steel manufacturers
wel16 benefit materially as such a policy
would require a much heavier tonnage, and
rails are sold by the ton. the present price
for standard rails being S2s ton. The
adoption Of a softer rail, IL is said, would
also mean q considerable increase in rail
tonnage. as the latter would have longer
life than the highly carbonized rail now in
general use Both OF these changes IN rails
would, however. make for greater safety,
IN the opinion Of the rail manufacturers,
and " this ig proved TO be the case 10 the
abstraction OF the railroads. II Is not doubt
"a that they will adopt them, notwithstand-
ing tse increased cost.