Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-11-16
RAILWAY WRECKS
Quick Rescue Work the Rule
When a smashup Occurs.
"sAvE LIFE" is FIRST ORDER.

III livery effort Is
Strained, and When That Work is
Done "cIear the tracks, Regardless
of Property Loss, Ia the Next Task.
Marvelously efficient is the system
of Wreck1ng machinery in use in these
days for quick work when a smash
up occurs on one of the great rail
roads. Some Of the latest inventions
and appliances for clearing tracEs aft
er a wreck are described in the popu-
lar Science Monthly. The magazine
| says:
"Wrecking trains are located on
every division OF important railroads,
standing idle in the yards waiting for
calamity-a crane car, with sufficient
power to lift a freight car as a child
lifts a toy; a supply car, containing
ropes, cables, chains, jacks. crowbars,
tools, lanterns, fire apparatus, dyna-
mite, rails, ties; a caboose for the
wrecking crew.
."When the word comes over the wire
that the express and the fast freight
I NC ~ LIEU W StS WHICH tODIt D!ll lllt
other off the track the wrecking crew
assemblies in a hurry. They are pick
ed men-these minutemen of the rails
leach with his speciality. Mechanics.
%tracklnen, men skilled in explosives.
strong men, slender men, at least one
small but muscular man. they come
from ~roundhouse and shop. freight
| vnI1S and 0Fff.n Of tI,o ,,,r,,.,,,,. .,lj
The wrecking boss takes command. the
best engine available backs down. and
with a clear track the WreckiMG train
gets to the disaster, often ahead of the
special containing doctors and nurses.
There is only order TO be obeyed
when the wrecking crew gets into ac-
tion-'save life But once the victims
are extricated-and they are taken out
in remarkably short ttme-the order
changes. 1t is not, as might be expect
ed, save property 1t is clear the line
1t makes no difference that five jun
bled freight cars contain expensive
automobiles, or pianos, or monographs,
or fruit, which might be saved by care
ful work. If the contents cannot be
~ ~ SS' Attli an iAptl lllttt Is
only one thing to do. The big steam
crane Is backed down to The mess; a
long, tentacle-like hook desccnds. chains
and ropes are brought into play, and
slowly, surely, almost daintily, the
crane swings the wrecked freight car
and it's contents to one side.
sometimes the easiest way to clear
the lines is to burn the wreck or blow
it up. Tracks car be quickly relaid if
damaged, but nothing can replace lost
time. The price of the cargo OF auto
mobiles is nothing against a five hour
delay, for the price of delay mounts
in stunning geometrical progression.
A few hundred dollars for the first
hour, it may be many thousands of dol
, lars in the second or third hour. A
stoppage Of the lines may mean a stop
page Of the whole railway system, with
hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of freight tied up, confusion,
loss. waste.
And well he knows his work-the
crane for this car, the jacks for that.
This engine looks like a scrap. but
probably will run; put her on the other
track. That engine looks all right, but
is vitality wounded; throw her off. This
car is too ineNtricably tangled with
another in loving embrace to take to
pieces, part by part; burn it UP and
throw the trucks to one side. The
small man, a necessary factor, crawls
into and out of holes TOO small for his
stronger mates. attaclliug chains and
ropes, reporting conditions, doing work
as valuable as that of the Hercules
who with a crowbar heaves up a tan
gle Of wheels that a jack may be slip
ped into position.
"The doctors and the nurses and the
relief train have come and gone. Down
the line stands an impatient express,
behind it q long freight. In the other
direction a local is filled With tuning
commuters, and p~erlaps.the presidents
special is close behind. All along the
division and soon to spread through
the whole system is delay. stalled
trains, trains waiting orders, trains
costing the company thousands of dol
lars a minute.
Over the tangled debris one man
stands supreme, swapping his orders
like the crack Of a whip, utterly I'M
mindful Of the property he destroys
that other property may move. And
as If by magic the lines clear. The
last Of the bent and broken cars are
turned On their sides and slide down
the bank. The limping engine goes off
behind a switching engine sent for the
purpose. II the delay looks long, a
temporary sidetrack has been swiftly
built and the several waiting trains
pun slowly by. The wrecking train
whistles. Its crew, driving the last
spike to make the track secure, pull.
out jimmy pipes. The big crane folds
its single arm and rests. The men pile
Into their caboose. The wreck is off
q lines-time, ffty-five minutes. The