Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-01-19
RAILWAY WRECKS
Quick Rescue Work the Rule
When a Smashup Occurs.
"SAvE LIFE" is FIRST ORDER.

To Accomplish This Every Effort 10
Strained, and When That Work ls
Done "CIear the Tracks," Regardless
of Property Loss, Is the Next Task.
Marvelously efficient is the system
of wreckilg 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
end appliances for clearing tracks 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 Is 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 ONE over the wire
that the express and the fast freight
have tried to see which could butt the
other off the track the wreeking crew
assemblies in a hurry. They are pick
ed men-these minutemen of the rails
each with his speciality. Mechanics,
trackmen, men skilled In explosives,
strong men. slender men, at least one
small but muscular man. they come
from roundhouse and shop, freight
yards and Office at the supreme call.
The wrecking boss takes command, the
best engine available backs down, and
with a clear track the wrecking train
gets to the disaster, often ahead of the
special containing doctors and nurses.
"There is only one 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 time-the order
changes. 1t is not, as might be expect
ed, save property 1t is clear the line
1t makes no difference that five jum-
bled freight cars contain expensive
automobiles, or pianos, or monographs,
or fruit, which might be saved by care
full work. If the contents cannot lie
saved in less than an hour there Is
only one thing to do. The big steam
crane is backed down to the mess; a
long, tentacle-like hook descends, 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 can be quickly relaid il
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 inextricably tangled with
another in loving embrace to take to
pieces, part by part; burn 1t up n
throw the trucks to one side. The
small man, Il necessary factor, crawls
into and out of holes too small for his
stronger mates, attaching chains and
ropes, reporting conditions, doing work
as valuable as that Of the Hercules
who with q 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 1t a long freight. In the other
direction a local is filled with Tuning
commuters, and perhaps 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 IN
mindful of tie 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. If the delay looks long, a
temporary sidetrack has been swiftly
built and the several waiting trains
puff 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
the Intestine. ffty-five minutes. The
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