Evening journal., 1913-07-15
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Row the Airbrake First
Came Into Being
By Holland

MT. II. -. a. David. OF flltSnurEn, IS
one Of the few survivors of those who
had an important part Ia the devel-
opment of American railroads consc-
quent upon the introduction of the
air-brake and the couplcr-buifer,
about forty-fve years ago.
MIR. David was at the time Of the
real Introduction Of the air-brake
division superintendent Of the West
en Union Telegraph Company of
Pittsburgh. and he was almost every
day up and down upon the Pan
Handle" railroad line at the time of
the FIRST test Of the air-brake. He is
familiar. therefore. with the history
of the air-brako i'm those days OF It's
momentous beginning, and he was for
sometimes a personal friend Of George
Westinghouse, the two young men
Living at that time i'm the same board
ing house.
Mr. David has informed me that
al the time Of the first test of. the
air-brake upon the pan Handle"
system the late James DS Laying was
no longer connected with the Pan
Handle road, having accepted an
executive position of importance
upon the Fort Wayne Line For that
reason Mr.. Laying could not have
made arrangements for the test Of
The air-brake upon the Pan Hanlde'
road.
recently reported in an anecdote
IN this column. something that Mr..
Laying had said TO me about the part
he shared with others in ordering
the FIRST test of the air-brake upon
the railroad line
II is only Justice TO Mr. w. w.
Card TO report that he as superin-
tendent of the Pan Handle" railroad,
offered to- put an accommodation train
at Mr.. Westinghouse disposal in
order to enable him TO make a prac-
tical demonstration OF his air brake.
Mr. Laying undoubtedly confused an
other incident in his railroad career
associated with the air-brake with
the first practical demonstration of
this absolutely original apparatus
upon a railroad train.
/ am indebted to Mr. David for a
very interesting incident related by
Mr.. Westinghouse. which explains
how the first inspiration came to him
for the mechanism by which air was
utilized for the instantaneous opera
ton Of brakes upon a railway train
1T has always been the impression
that the idea of an apparatus which
could be instantly applied to all cars
Of a railroad train came to MIR. West
inghouse at the time of an accident
TO a train between schenectady and
Troy ~ Y, upon which he was a
passenger, said Mr. David A4
This. however is only in part cor
rect u is true that the idea of
continuous breaking apparatus did
occur to Mr.. Westinghouse at that
time. but it was In an entirely uneX-
pccted and peculiar way that the idea
Of utilizing compressed air for this
purpose came to Mr. Westinghouse
1T appears that while Mr.. West
inghOuse was al work in his fathers
shop in Schenectady he was asked by
two young women TO subscribe TO a
monthly newspaper. and i'm an oblig-
ing spirit he put down his name and
| paid his Subscription That Nas forty
! seven years ago. One afternoon he
was glancing over the first number
of this paper whom his eve fell upon
an account of the construction of a
! tunnel under one of the peaks Of the
! Alps The account stated that com
| pressed air was used for the driving
of the machinery for the tunnel oper
alton. Instantly The thought flashed
through Mr. WcstinRhouse's mind
Here is ihe energy which I need for
successful application Of continuous
brakes to railroad train That
chance subscription really led 10 The
construction of the first braking ap-
paratus operated by compressed air.
Copyright 1913. by f.. J Edwards
Al lrights reserved).