The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-01-11
RAILWAY WRECKS
Quick Rescue Work the Rule
When a Smasilup Occurs.
SAVE LIFE" IS FIRST ORDER.

To Accomplish This Every Effort 10
Strained, and When Tha. Work Is.
Done "clear the Tracks," Regardless
Of Property Loss. Is the Next Task.
Marvelously efficient is the system
of wrecking machinery in use in these
days for quick work when smash
up occurs on one of the great Fail
roads Some of the latest Inventions
and 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 freight car as child
lifts toy; supply car. containing
ropes. cables. chains. jacks. crowbars.
tools. lanterns. fire apparatus. dyna-
mite, rails. ties: caboose for the
wrecking crew.
when the word comes over the wire
that the express and the fast freight
other Off the track the wrecking crew
assemblies in hurry. They are pick
ed men-these minutemen of the rails
leach with his speciality. Mechanics,
trackmen, men skilled In explosives,
strong men, slender men. at least one
small but muscular man. they come
from ronndhouse and shop. freight
yards and Office at the supreme call.
The wrecEing boss takes command. the
best engine available backs down, and
with Il clear track the wrecking train
gets to the disaster, often ahead of the
special containing doctors and nurses.
"There is only one order TO he oheyed
when the wrecking crew gets into ac-
tion-'save life.' But once the victims
are extricatel-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 10 difference that FIVE jum-
blcd freight cars contain expensive
automobiles, or pianos, or monographs.
or fruit. which might be saved by care.
full work If the contents cannot be
saved in less than an hour there Is
only one thing to do. The big steam
crane is hacked down to the mess; a
long, tentacle-l like hook descends, chains
and ropes arc brought into play. and
slowly. surely, almost daintily. the
crane swings the wrecked freight car
ana its 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 If
damaged, but nothing can replace los:
time. The price Of the cargo of auto
mobiles Is nothing against five hour
delay. for the price of delay mounts
in stunning geometrical progression.
a few hundred dollars for the first
hour. 1t may be many thousands Of dol
lars in the second or third hour. A
stonpage Of the lines may mean stop
page Of the whole railway system. with
hundreds of thousands Of dollars
IL
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 and
throw the trucks to one side. The
small man, necessary factor, crawls
into and out Of holes too smalr for his
stronger mates, attaching chains and
ropes. reporting conditions, doing work
as valuable as that of the Hercules
who with crowbar heaves up tan
gle of wheels that jack may he slip.
red into position.
"The doctors and the nurses and the
relief train have come and gone. Down
the line stands an impatient express.
behind 1t long freight. In the other
direction local is filled with Tuning
commuters, and perhaps the president s
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 minute.
"Over the tangled debris one man
stands supreme, swapping his orders
like the crack Of whip. utterly un-
mindful of the property he destroys
that other property may move. And
as II 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 oil
behind 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 of
Che lines-time, fifty-five minutes. The
wrecking train has finished its work