The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-12-12
MATTER Of EVOLUTION
CONSTRUCTION OF CARS CON-
SISTENTLY IMPROVED.
From the Light, Open Platform Wood
en- Equipment the Change Has
Been Made to the Present
Almost Perfection.

To understand and appreciate the
present agitation in regard to steel
cars n must go back to the earlier
passenger equipment on our railroads
and work up to the present situation
through the various changes that have
occurred in III passenger train serv-
ice.
Originally we had light. open plat
form, wooden coaches, with link and
pin couplers, hauled by light engines
at slow speeds. These cars answered
every requirement in their day and
were satisfactory until with the grad
ual increase in speed, accidents &C.
Cured and the telescoping of the open
platform cars led to the introduction
of the Miller and, later, of the .Janney
cOuplers which proved at the time
very successful in preventing telescop-
ing in cases Of collisions. With the
Introduction of heavier cars, heavier
locomotives and still further increases
in speed, these couplers proved insult
ficient to prevent the breakage OF the
platforms and the ~telescoping Of cars.
The next move was the Introduction
of the narrow vestibule. That ac-
complished for a time the desired re-
suit. With still heavier equipment,
especially sleeping cars, the narrow
vestibule failed and the wide vesti-
bule, with steel platforms, was adopt
ed and in a number Of accidents
proved most efficient.
The Pullman company at this time
commenced to strengthen their cars by
the use of heavy steel platforms and
steel floor construction. extending
back beyond the body holsters of the
cars, reinforced by steel corner and
doOr-pOsts and steel transoms, making
their wooden car unusually strong, and
as the strongest and best car construc-
ton in the world. Many accidents oc-
Cured, and it became a saying all over
the country. Ride in a Pullman car
and you will be safer than if you
stayed at home"
The speed OF trains through this pe-
Rod was constantly increasing and ac-
cidents at high speeds necessarily
mean greater destruction of equip
ment. Still, the Pullman car held its
w and in accidents, the coaches
were generally badly damaged. This
led the railroads to build their coach
es practically as strong as the sleep
ing cars, and solid wide vestibule
trains on the through routes became
almost universal.
1t is not the steel car that will pro-
duce safety, as many people seem to
believe. Neither will a complete sys-
tenn Of block signals. but the public
have a right to demand that on lines
of heavy rattle, where fast trains are
operated, there should be ample signal
projections; that there should be the
best equipment that can be provided
and that all reasonable safeguards
should be thrown around the operation
Of the trains. But no matter how per-
feet the signaling. how complete the
train, without discipline and the obedi-
ence of rules. safety cannot be Sc
cured. Only the most competent men
should be selected to operate the fast
passenger trains. The best men in the
service should be selected for the train
crews, and the most perfect discipline
should be maintained. This is the
foundation Of Observation-Disclosures
News.