﻿103: 
  

  

  AN 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  TRAIN 
  WRECKER. 
  

  

  {Odijiteriis 
  fovfimiiudus 
  Saussure. 
  ) 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  moHt 
  experienced 
  economic 
  entomologist 
  were 
  asked 
  to 
  show 
  

   liow 
  a 
  single 
  small 
  insect 
  might 
  embarrass 
  and 
  even 
  wreck 
  a 
  trans- 
  

   continental 
  railroad 
  train 
  he 
  would 
  doubtless 
  be 
  obliged 
  to 
  admit 
  

   that 
  the 
  problem 
  was 
  beyond 
  his 
  knowledge 
  and 
  ingenuity, 
  and 
  it 
  

   speaks 
  highly 
  for 
  the 
  powers 
  of 
  observation 
  and 
  adaptation 
  exhibited 
  

   by 
  the 
  solitary 
  wasps 
  that 
  these 
  remarkable 
  insects 
  should 
  have 
  ap- 
  

   propriated 
  to 
  their 
  purposes 
  the 
  one 
  minute 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  anatomy 
  of 
  

   a 
  freight 
  train 
  through 
  which 
  its 
  destruction 
  can 
  be 
  brought 
  about 
  

   by 
  so 
  insignificant 
  a 
  cause. 
  This 
  point 
  is 
  the 
  opening 
  for 
  the 
  escape 
  

   of 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  retaining 
  valve 
  of 
  the 
  automatic 
  brake 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   which 
  on 
  all 
  freight 
  trains 
  is 
  now 
  required 
  by 
  national 
  law. 
  If 
  this 
  

   small 
  opening 
  is 
  plugged, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  for 
  the 
  engineer 
  to 
  release 
  

   the 
  brakes 
  on 
  a 
  car 
  when 
  once 
  applied: 
  and 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  failure 
  

   to 
  release 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  brakes 
  on 
  a 
  long 
  freight 
  train 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  

   noticeable 
  to 
  the 
  engineer 
  until, 
  perhaps, 
  the 
  braked 
  wheels 
  become 
  

   overheated 
  and 
  burst, 
  or 
  are 
  flattened 
  by 
  sliding 
  along 
  the 
  track, 
  with 
  

   results 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  safety 
  of 
  the 
  train. 
  

  

  It 
  so 
  happens 
  that 
  this 
  little 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  solid 
  iron 
  leading 
  into 
  

   the 
  cavity 
  of 
  the 
  valve 
  is 
  j)recisely 
  to 
  the 
  liking 
  of 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  

   solitary 
  wasps 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  places 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  build 
  their 
  mud 
  nests 
  

   and 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  uncommon 
  occurrence 
  on 
  the 
  

   Great 
  Plains 
  for 
  a 
  brake 
  valve 
  to 
  be 
  plugged 
  by 
  these 
  insects 
  with 
  an 
  

   air-tight 
  packing 
  of 
  mud, 
  with 
  consequences 
  which 
  greatly 
  overtax 
  

   the 
  entomological 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  j)uzzled 
  brakeman 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  with 
  tlie 
  brake. 
  

  

  My 
  attention 
  was 
  first 
  called 
  to 
  this 
  curious 
  entomological 
  relation- 
  

   ship 
  in 
  September. 
  18V)(i. 
  by 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  W. 
  Rhodes, 
  Super- 
  

   intendent 
  of 
  Motive 
  Power, 
  of 
  the 
  Chicago. 
  Burlington, 
  and 
  Quincy 
  

   Railroad 
  Company, 
  of 
  which 
  tlie 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  essential 
  part: 
  

  

  "A 
  carious 
  difficulty 
  lias 
  arisen 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  cars 
  which 
  are 
  

   e([uipped 
  with 
  the 
  air 
  brake. 
  You 
  are 
  doubtless 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  law 
  

   requires 
  that 
  after 
  1SV)8 
  sufficient 
  cars 
  in 
  each 
  train 
  in 
  interstate 
  

   business 
  must 
  be 
  equipped 
  with 
  automatic 
  brakes 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  

   speed 
  of 
  the 
  train. 
  The 
  point 
  that 
  I 
  refer 
  to 
  and 
  wish 
  to 
  call 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  is 
  that 
  an 
  insect 
  has 
  been 
  making 
  its 
  nest 
  and 
  depositing 
  its 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  the 
  air-opening 
  in 
  the 
  retaining 
  valve. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  composed 
  

   of 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  completely 
  stops 
  up 
  the 
  air 
  passage. 
  That 
  

   you 
  may 
  understand 
  how 
  serious 
  this 
  is. 
  I 
  enclose 
  a 
  cut 
  of 
  the 
  re- 
  

  

  