42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



jiouderous life-savers, the death roll would have been appalliug. 

 Nothing could have saved the frail wooden cars from crumbling 

 and going into the Juniata river. Even the big steel cars were 

 badly twisted, but there were no splinters or fire to add to the 

 horror of the wreck. ' ' 



The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin says: ■'The comparative 

 smallness of the death loss is held proof for th'> first time in the 

 history of railroads of the remarkable value of steel coaches. 

 Those experts who have seen the derailed cars <ieclare that nearly 

 all the passengers would have been killed or critically hurt if 

 the cars had been made of wood. The authorities at Huntingdon 

 county will make no effort to investigate the cause of the wreck. ' ' 



These paragraphs illustrate the general tenor of the comments 

 ia all the newspaper reports, but it does not seem to occur to any 

 of these newspaper writers, in view of the evidence connected 

 with the derailment, that had the train been of the former type 

 of construction, it would still have been on the track. These 

 stories about the possibilities of increased fatalities had this train 

 been of wood, are reminiscent of the anecdote of the telegrams 

 sent by the private secretary of Railroad Superintendent Smith 

 to the wife of the victim who was killed in a railroad wreck. 

 The telegram read: "Bad wreck; both ilr. Smith's arms broken; 

 Iioth legs broken; back broken; neck broken. Hoiin' with remains 

 on No. 6." 



A couple of hours later the widow received a second telegram 

 from the secretary reading: "Accident not as bad as first re- 

 ported. Only one of Mr. Smith's arms broken; onlj' one leg 

 broken; back broken; neck broken. Home with remains on No. 6." 



It doesn't really make much difference to a traveler whether he 

 is killed or maimed in a steel car or a wooden one. The point at 

 issue is which is the safer vehicle for transporting passengers; 

 which type of car is more liable to derailment ? 



In view of the recent steel train accidents that have befallen 

 the Pennsylvania and other railroads (and the one recited and 

 pictured herewith is only one of three that the Pennsylvania 

 has had within the last few days), it would seem to indicate 

 that the frailties of the present type of steel cars are remarkably 

 serious, and that passengers are taking very much additional risk 

 in riding in this class of cars. 



PUBLIC SENTIMENT ON THE QUESTION 



Hardwood KecOKU'.s clipping bureaus reveal the faet that lliere 

 is about as much matter published commending the former type 

 of passenger and sleeping cars as is printed favorable to the 

 steel cars. Further analysis reveals that the most of the favorable 

 strenuous efforts of exploitation that are being put forth by the 

 publicity bureau. Beyond question public sentiment is about 

 equally divided on this important subject, and were it not for the 

 strenuous efforts of exploitation that are being put out by the 

 steel interests, it is doubtful if any sane person would consent to 

 _ ride in a steel car if there were any other way of making the 

 journey. 



A gentleman called at this office a few days ago and stated 

 that the day before he had purchased a ticket at the Hudson 

 Terminal ticket office, New York City, for Chicago, and in 

 making tlie purchase he said to the ticket agent: 



"Give me a reservation in a wooden car." 



The ticket agent observed: "What in the mischief has come 

 over the traveling public? When steel cars were first put on 

 everj'body wanted to ride in the steel cars, but now about every 

 third man demands a reservation in a wooden car. You are the 

 fourth man jmrchasing a ticket to Chicago this morning who has 

 insisted on having a reservation in a wooden car." 



RETURN TO THE FORMER TYPE OF PASSENGER CAR 

 CONSTRUCTION 

 It IS an open secret that less than two years ago the ilirotors 

 of the Pullman Car Company, probably under directions from the 

 steel trust magnates, who own the majority of the stock of this 

 company, decided to transform the works at Pullman exclusively 



into a steel car manufacturing establishment. It is alleged that 

 a motion was made at the meeting of the board of directors that 

 the woodwork shops of the company be dismantled, but one 

 director wiser than his fellows, insisted that steel car production 

 was still experimental, and as a personal favor asked that the 

 motion not prevail, as it might be possible that the company 

 would again employ its wood-working department. The Avood 

 shops of the company were not dismantled or demolished. 



It is also known that se\ eral of the powers behind the throne 

 of the Pennsylvania Company are tremendously disgusted and 

 disheartened with the awful toll of life and extravagant expenditure 

 in money involved in the steel car installation, and it is equally 

 an open secret that the Pullman Car Company is again buying 

 foreign and domestic woods in considerable quantities that 

 formerly were employed ;n the wooden type of cars, which would 

 indicate that there is again going to be use for the wood shops 

 of the company. 



It is said that practii-nlly the former type of steel reinforced 

 ]ilatforins with wooden uiijier works will prevail on a considerable 

 number of cars soon to be built af Pullman. It is well known 

 that a good many astute and capable railroad men, at the head 

 of large systems, have absolutely refused to consider the employ- 

 ment of steel cars on their lines, based on the belief that they 

 were unsafe and extravagant in many particulars, and numerous 

 orders for high-class wooden passenger and sleeping car equip- 

 ment have gone outside of the Pullman works on account of its 

 refusal to build anything but steel cars for some time past. 



PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PENNSYLVANIA WRECK 



The photograph accompanying this article, illustrating thet 

 Warrior 's Eidge wreck, was secured under some difficulties. 

 H.utDWOOD Record is not even at liberty to state the source from 

 which it obtained the original photograph that it publishes. The 

 l)hotograph was secured on telegraphic orders, but in transmit- 

 ting it the sender states that both the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh 

 newspapers sent photographers to the scene of the accident, but 

 most of them were "pinched" or chased off the company's 

 property before they had an opportunity to make even a snap- 

 shot. The writer states further that the report of the wreck in 

 the -Philadelphia newspapers fully indicates that it is not regarded 

 as good newspaper policy to write very much about anything that 

 in any wise may reflect on the Pennsylvania Railroad or its man- 

 agement, inasmuch as it is a Philadelphia institution. 



OTHER WOOD SUBSTITUTES 



The report published in a recent issue of H.VRnwoon Record 

 that no metal bodies were employed by European automobile 

 manufacturers in the building X>i cars, came as a distinct sur- 

 prise. This fact, let it be understood, is not because a steel body 

 can not be built in Great Britain or the Continent for less money 

 than a wooden body, or because complete experiments have not 

 been carried on demonstrating the relative merits of the two 

 types of construction, but foreign cars arc built with wooil bodies 

 in conformity with the general theory and practice of European 

 manufacturers of making the best possible type of automobile in 

 every detail that can bo built. 



Of course, the American public can /iml no |iartii-nlar fault 

 with the steel trust people, whose interest lies so largely in steel 

 production, if they can succeed in working off oven temporarily 

 their stovej^ipe steel bodies onto automobile buyers, but it is a 

 matter of certainty that the average buyer of the sheet steel 

 automobile body is not going to be soaked with a second car 

 of this type. It is commended to automobile buyers to spend a half 

 hour in watching the procession of automobiles along ^Michigan 

 avenue, Chicago, and before the half hour is up they will be fully 

 convinced that (he steel body shows up very badly in appearance, 

 utility or permanence in comparison with the cars built with wood 

 bodies. 



