Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-04
Commerce Commissioners
Hearings on New Haven
Wreck Start Tomorrow.
RAILROAD DEFENDED
IN BURNING DEBRIS
Did Not Violate Orders of Govern
.ment-Rail Problem
Discussed.

The hearing Of the interstate commerce
commission on the wreck on the New
York, New Haven and Hartford railroad
at Wallingford, Conn, will begin at New
haven tomorrow morning promptly at 10
o'clock. Interstate Commerce Commits
sioner McChord, who will conduct the
hearing, left here this afternoon for New
Haven.
Mr.. McChord declared this morning
that no report has been received from
Chief Inspector Belnap or any of his
assistants who have been investigating
the wreck as to their findings. The men
are continuing their Investigations, he
said, and by the time the hearing begins
at New Haven tomorrow morning every
thing will be in readiness.
The commissioner made it plain this
morning that the railroad company had
in no way foiled the investigators of the
interstate commerce commission by burn
ing the wreckage. The material was not
ignited. according TO information from
Mr. Belnap. until he had finished his in
vestigation and had given permission to
burn it.
Railroad Is Defended.
this statement:
"1n justice to the management of the
New York. New Haven and Hartford
railroad, 1 desire to say that l have just
talked with our chief inspector, Mr.. Bel
nap, over the telephone from New Haven.
He advises me that our inspectors had
made thorough and complete eXamina-
ton of the wrecked equipment before the
same was burned last night. / make
this Sfafpmant in view of the fact that
the press generally reports this morning
that the equipment was destroyed In de-
fiance of the request of the commission
that it be preserved until the inspection
could be made"
Although Chief Inspector Belnap and
James E. Howard, engineer-physicist of
the bureau of standards, in reporting on
the wreck at Haymill, Ala, October l
last. recommended that an investigation
be instituted into the structural qualities
of steel rails with the idea of obtaining
accurate data on the service stresses
which should be allowed, it was said at
the commission today that an act of
Congress would be necessary before any
cfals pointed to the last annual report
of the commission to Congress, which
at that time told of the urgent need of
an investigation of rail structure and
stresses on steel rails
The derailment in question, the report
on which was just made public. caused
the death of an express messenger, in
jury to fifteen passengers, three postal
clerks, two Pullman employees, one ex-
press messenger and one railroad en-
ploye, and was caused by what is known
as transverse fissures,'' flaw in the
rails which cannot in any manner be de-
tected when they are laid. according to
experts. They often develop, it is de-
pressure after they are laid, and it is
with the idea of determining the pres
sure which should be allowed for certain
kinds of rails and thus preventing acci-
dents from derailments that the fnvesti-
cation was recommended.
Rails Are Overloaded.
Mr.. Howard. in his report, says that it
is not question of the grade of steel
whether or not the fissures develop. but
in specific cases the question Of what
constitutes an overload for the particular
rail being used. Rails which develop
this type Of fracture have certainly been
overloaded" he says. THE close proxim-
ity of transverse fissures to each other
precludes the explanation that they are
the result of bending stresses taken
alone. The results call for the presence of
an Independent force the influence which
is felt along the entire length OF. the
head of the rail, and SUCH in fact, is the
manner in which the compression metal
acts.
NO method has been found capable of
locating lncipient interior fssures and
which. it should be remarked, do not
present oxidized surfaces. But SO grave
a matter this should not be left in
its present state of uncertainty, and
data upon contributory causes, track
conditions, wheel loads and grades of
steel in which these assures appear
should all be required. Primarily the
formation Of a transverse fissure is the
x,F .I<N.a1
lar rail, from whatever point the subject
is viewed 1t Is regarded as an impera-
tive duty, which should at once be per-
formed. to ascertain and define the
actual stresses to which the rails are
daily subjected"
Other Stresses Known,
Mr.. Howard calls attention to the fact
that in no other line are structural ma
terials used without knowing the stresses
to which they will be subjected, and then
there is careful margin maintained be-
tween the breaking load and the allow
able working load. These illustrations
of the use of structural materials are
relatively simple examples, when COM
pared with the complex conditions which
attend the use of steel rails. emphasize
ing, therefore, the necessity for ascertain
ing so far as may De working stresses
in steel rails.
..Commendable efforts have been made
at different times in the laboratory to ac-
qure reliable information upon the prim-
tive physical properties of the materials
made use of in track equipment but
wears should not be allowed to pass with
out corresponding efforts being directed
to the material after 1t reaches the track
Such a dearth of important information
as pertains to service stresses In steel