The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-29
TWO MILLION MILES
Run by LOcomotive-Rails Live 100
Years

From Pearson's Weekly.
One of the big engines of the London
and Northwestern Railway company has
Just completed distance of 100000 miles.
A locomotive travels. on an average.
only about 20000 miles a year. SO this
wonderful performance is equal to lJ0
years service ON an ordinary basis. as
matter of fact. the engine in question
has been worked i've times as hard as the
average, and has accomplished its task
within period of 20 years.
Quite how long a we'll built locomotive
will last in running order is hardly
known. Six years ago the famous LORI
of the Isles" was ''scrapped'' at Swindon.
She was one of ths famous Great Western
broad gauge engines, and was built IN
1912. She was In perfect running order up
to the end of her long life of more than
60 years.
A modern heavy rail Will last even
longer than locomotive. Its life is recl1-
oned at a century, first on n main line,
then on sldings This is really wonder
ful when one considers the terrific fric-
ton to which rails are subjected when ~
train is braked. 1t may be mentioned that
rails in use In a station do not last mora
than quarter as long as those on open.
level stretches Of track. A carriage, il
well used. mas a very long life. In the
Museum of Coaches at Lisbon is coach
in which our late King Edward VII drove
during visit TO Lisbon 10 or II years ago
This coach was built in 1921.
Ex-President Roosevelt owns and uses
a phaeton which vas made to his grand
fathers order Z least 70 years ago 1t is
very comfortable and as good almost as
the day 1t was quilt There are plenty of
carriages in this country which have seen
service for at least half a centuruy
Motor cars, alasi have no such long life.
A car Is old at five years. and. though
there are some single cylinders still on tho
road which date from the beginning of
the present century. they are stared at
as curiosties
OF inventions for purposes of locomo-
tion none can match a ship for long life.
Only last year the Seal left Bideford for
Durham, voyage Of 5000 miles. The Seal
was built at Southampton in 1916 and IN
1923 was driven from her moorings at
Poole In fearful gale and found in
turnip field.
There are still ahoat at least dozen
sailing vessels Thich have weathered the
storms of n century. The record is or
rather was. held ny the Italian vessel Ant
Ia. Built in Genon in 15iS, she made her
last voyage In 1902. That was from Ten
eriffe to Naples. She was thus more than
$50 years old Alas, she has heen broken
up--a cruel fate for such wonderful o!d
relic.
Steam ships seldom last more than 10
years. of those built between 1915 and
1885 there is not, We believe. single one
anoat The life of the modern steel ship
is much shorter than that of her wooden
predecessor. As for warships. they are
usually ccrapped AZ the age of 20.
OF all machines made by man. none can
compare for long life with the clock. The
life of a clock Is as much longer than that
of any other machinery as the life sf a
man Is longer than that of dog.
The French city of Rouen has great
clock which was luilt in the year 1889. ard
is still keeping good time. Except for
cleaning and "a few necessary repairs, it
has never stopped during a period Of
more than five centuries. 1t strikes the
hours and chimes the quarters.
Ornaments last longer than anything
else that man makes. There ara
brooches and necklaces in our museums
more than 10 centuries old Monuments,
perhaps, stand second. and houses third
Thelife of furniture is shorter still. There
is very little furniture left in England
which dates beyond the year 1880. Pie
lures last longer than furniture, and there
are paintings still IN fair condition whica
hacve weathercl six centuries OF life.