Evening journal., 1913-07-16
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How the Present Railroad
System WaS 4 ade Possible
b, ROLAND

~ conversation with George West
inghouse several years ago said to
him that I had been told by Abram
S. Hewitt. in his day probably the
greatest authority on iron and steel
productions and one OF the leading
American Authorities uDon economic
subjects OF all kinds. that Sir Henry
Bessemer's invention of a very cheap
process for making steel and the in
vention Of the apparatus by which
compressed air is utilized for instan-
taneous application OF the brakes of a
railway train were chief among the
Influences which made the maguti-
cent development of the West and
the Northwest possible,
II told Mr. Westinghouse said Mr..
Hewitt that had il not been for the
Bessemer process for making steel
the highest cost of rails would have
prohibited The equipment Of railway
roadheds with rails sufficiently heavy
and strong TO meet the requirements
OF the great traffic offered by the far
mers and lumbermen of the North
and Northwest. and that the ability TO
control Immediately and effectively
tho braking OF trains from the cngi-
neer's cab made possible the opera
tion OF long and very heavy trains.
I'm reply Mr.. Westinghouse said;
There was another factor which has
done much toward tho perfecting OF
American railroads. That was the
buffet coupler II came along just
about the time when the compressed
airbrake was first put to practical
use and when the railroads were be-
ginning to lay heavy and strong rails.
After all. 7 sometimes think that
one OF the great benefits which fol-
lowed the introduction Of the conf
pressed airbrake and the automatic
coupler is one of which tho public
has had little knowledge. The air
brake and tho coupler were visible
TO the eye; they we're absolutely new
applications Of scientific principles in
tho operation Of railroads They did
interest the people greatly, hut an
other benefit which was then OF
almost incalculable value was the in
eviiable Standardization Of railway
equipment and apparatus.
In the old days each railroad com
pany went its own way. The cars
were Of different length and some
lines utilized broad gauge. some me
dium gauge and some tho narrow
gauge. This made Il necessary frc
qucntly to transfer freight and pas
sengers II was impossible to run 3
train unbrokcn, say from the Missis.
sippi river TO the Atlantic coast. TIL,
Erie railroad, which was built at first
with broad-gauge tracks, afterwart
put q third rail down so that it coult
accommodate cars which ran upon 4
medium gauge track with its owl
cars. As result the Erie railroad
trains were queer-looking things
The Introduction. however. OF ths
airbrakc and the coupler called I'M
mediate attention to tho fact that &
American railroads were TO bo dc
yeloped properly il was necossar,
that there he a nationwide standard
izing of cars. tracks and equipment
That led to the organization of variou
associations like the Master Ca
Builders Association There follow
cd what has become practically per
feet development Of everything tina
enters into railroad operation ant
equipment Now. the public coul'
have little knowledge of the perfec
tion to which stsndsrdizing has gone
hut in my opinion this stsndardizinl
/ has done as much AS any one thin
for the magnificent development o
tho American railroad systems"
copyright 1913. by y. j. Edward
All rights reservcdl.
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