Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1918-08-23
YUCcA-CHOPPER INVENTOR
HAS BRAND-NEW DEVICE
4. D. Davies perfeCis Invention That
he Believes win HevOlutlOnlze
Laying Of Railway Track

A. u. Davies Of this city, well
known inventor Of the soapweed
chopper, has perfected another IN
yention that bids fair to outrank the
other in usefulness by a very fair
margin, in fact, it may well have a
notable part in the winning of the
war II Uncle Sam can see his way
clear to use it all he will have to do
will be TO accept Mr., Davies free and
unconditional offer made a few days
ago for the period of the war. All
he asked In return was the usual
patent right after the war is over.
The invention is intended to solve
the difficulty experienced by rail
road builders in keeping the supply
of steel rails up to the points where
they are to be laid on the cross-ties.
The cars carrying these steel rails
can, of course, only run as far as
The rails are already laid, while the
rails are wanted ahead of that; so
that it has always been necessary
either to carry them forward by
hand as the ear advances along the
newly laid track, or TO install costly
and, thus far, very cumbersome and
unsatisfactory machinery, to bridge
the gap. Mr.. Davies invention does
away with that with a simplicity that
makes one wonder why il was not
thought Of long ago. The car car
rying the rails is fitted with long,
heavy extensions of the car axles,
turning with them and grooved so as
to permit the sliding of a rail over
them. Men on the car dump the
rails one on each side as they are
needed, over the side of the ear. in
side Of guards that prevent their
falling too far outside and direct
them into the groove on the axle ex-
tension. Then the engine shoves the
ear forward and the rails are ear
ried forward by the turning of the
axles on which they rest, just twice
as fast as the actual progress of the
ear. This is a lnyman's description
Of the device and certainly isn't any
clearer than il ought to be, but one
needs to see tho actual model any
way, to properly understand it. It
works with a certainty and simplicity
that is beautiful to see.
There are some details that will
probably have TO be worked out, in
all probability, before the device is
put to actual use, but the principle
is there and the rest will be easy
Mr.. Davies had planned to make the
trip to Washington with the model,
but decided the expense of such
trip was too great, so he sent let
ter of explanation instead.
The possibilities of the invention
are plainly great, and in the eyes of
the inventor there is almost no limit
to them. He is confident that when
the device is properly perfected and
applied and competent men have ac-
Quired experience with it a crew of
ten men can lay mile of track per
hour. This is without spiking the
rails to the ties, a detail that can be
attended to after the track-layine
train has passed over them, as ma
chinery already exists for the clamp
ing of the rails to permit that train
TO pass.
What such an invention will mean
TO the army in France is easy to see,
for the quick laying of railroads is
one of the mighty problems back of
the trenches. If it comes up to the
inventors expectations, and it GER
tainly looks like it will do that-it
should give the allies a strong ad-
vantage over their foe until they
manage to copy il, as each side al.
ways does when the other makes a