The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-08-17
SMOKE DEFLECTORS

The engine crews who drive the
modern monster types of locomotive
through the longer tunnels OF Amer
lean railways are frequently exposed
to the presence Of deadly carbon
monoxied gas and to whitening tenn
peratures ranging up to 1876 degrees
farenheit, states the Department Of
the Interior, as the result Of an in
vestigation conducted by the Bureau
of Mines in railroad tunnels in Utah
and Wyoming. Hot exhaust gases
are the source of danger from ex-
posure to tunnel atmospheres. Many
serious accidents have occurred In
these tunnels due to asphxiation or ex
haustion of. the locomotive crews,
caused by exposure to atmospheres
containing carbon monoxide, or to at
..mospheres Of high temperature and
saturated with moisture. These haz-
ards are accumulated by a group of
less Importance consisting Of sulphur
dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, SCOT, and
steam, accompanied by the decreased
oxygen content of the air.
The Interior Department recon-
mends the use of smoke deflectors on
locomotives operating In tunnel dis
tricts as a means Of reducing the
hazard due to high temperatures, and
the use of the train air-brake line as
q source of air for breathing purposes
for members of engine crews.
The object of the Interior Depart
ment's investigation, conducted by the
Bureau Of Mines in cooperation with
the Union Pacific Railroad, was to
determine the cause of gassing acct
dents by examining int competition
Of the air in locomotive cabs while
passing through railroad tunnels; to
learn the effect Of these conditions
on the engine crew; and to provide a
means Of protection for the men 80
exposed
Gas samples and temperature read |
ings taken in the cabs of locomotives |
were used in studying the atmos- |
pheric conditions to which the loco
motive crews were exposed. The
symptoms and the physiological eff
fects produced in men exposed to the
atmospheres encountered were stud
led. The pulse rates and body tenn
peratures were taken, and determin-
ations of the carbon mOnOxide con-
tent of the blood were made. Various
methods for the prevention Of gass-
ing and for the protection of men
therefrom were considered and tested,
among which were the use of me-
chanical devices for DETECTING the
smoke away from the engine cab, and
the use of various types Of gas masks
and breathing apparatus.
OF forty trips conducted in cabs of
while the trains were
passing through tunnels, carbon mon
oxide was found to be present on
trips.
The operation of twenty-four trains '
Of approximately 1000 tons each, in 6
! normal running time Of 6 minutes s
through the Aspen tunnel in Wyo- '
ming, showed cab temperature Of III Q
degrees F. (dry bulb), Ill degrees
wet bulb, and relative humidity t
If 80 per cent The maximum dry 8
,ulb temperature recorded on any of t
he forty tests conducted was 1876 de- p
frees, while the maximum wet-bufb c
emperature was 1874 degrees. The n
line consumed in the passage Of the "
rains varied from AZ to Is minutes. s.
Results of physiological tests over b
'eriods Of 10 minutes showed that the O
conditions in the cabs might be sew e.
re enough to cause APPROPRIATIONS or n
in periods of 20 minutes,
specially in cases where the engine O,
) stalled. VI
Pocket respirator and other types d,
( gas masks, packed with soda-lime ia
harcoaI mixtures, afforded protection q,
gainst smoke and sulphurous gases. 81
arbon monoxide masks afforded pro-
ection against all Of the gases en- e,