rARMERS' REGISTER^RAILROAD ACCIDENTS. 



provement — let a geological survey be autliorlzed 

 by the Legislature, in imitation of the wise policy 

 of Pennsylvania and Maryland — and the patriot 

 will not yet despair of beholding this ancient and 

 venerable state regaining her lost rank in the con- 

 federacy. 



Charlestown is a beautiful village, containing a 

 thousand inhabitants. Its principal street extends 

 about a mile on the bank of tlie Kanawha, and is 

 terminated by the Elk, which flows nearly at 

 right angles into the former stream. Indeed, there 

 is something like enchantment in the contrast of 

 this flourishing village, with the wildness and soli- 

 tude of the same sjwt, less than thirty years i)ast. 

 The panther and wolf, have been driven from their 

 savage haunts, by the march of civilization and 

 refinement — and where a few scattered log huts 

 once arrested the traveller's eye, he now sees com- 

 modious and elegant buildings, the abodes of com- 

 fort and even of luxury. There is one drawback 

 indeed from the pleasures of sense and taste which 

 the sojourner is obliged to experience in the scar- 

 city of potable water.' The hills do not supply 

 that indispensable necessary of life; and the inha- 

 bitants are reconciled by custom to the use of the 

 river. The Kanawha, is indeed, lovely fo the eye, 

 when its naturally green surface, reflects a deeper 

 emerald from the lofty foliage on its banks; but 

 its water is so strongly impregnated with minerals, 

 to say nothing of other and obvious causes of dis- 

 like, that to my palate at least, it was utterly dis- 

 tasteful. 



In enjoying the pleasures and advantages of safe 

 transportation along the great state road, which 

 traverses this section, there is a spectacle often 

 presented, which awakens a melancholy train of 

 reflections. I allude to the number of emigrants, 

 who allured by the hope, sometimes deceptive, of 

 improving their condition, are bending their toil- 

 some march to the far west. Imagination becomes 

 busy in conjuring up the broken ties of early asso- 

 ciation, of kindred and country — and we read in 

 the sorrowful visages of some of these wretched 

 fugitives, tales of mental and bodily suffering, 

 which no language can express. It is true, that 

 some of these numberless caravans, present the 

 exterior of comfort and even of happiness, but for 

 the most part it is evidently the last struggle of 

 despairing poverty, to escape from the hardships of 

 its lot. Whilst the philanthropist sluidders at such 

 scenes of wretchedness, the politician must mourn 

 over this unceasing drain to population as well as 

 the causes which produce it. I trust at least, if 

 the wave of emigration must continue to roll west- 

 wardly, thai the time will shortlj^ come, when the 

 forests and mountains of our own Commonwealth, 

 will present suflicient attractions, to break its force, 

 if it does not entirely arrest it. 



But my letter has been spun out to a tiresome 

 length, and I must draw to a close. If I have 

 interested you enough, to induce you fo prolong 

 some of your summer excursions, I shall be amply 

 repaid, and you will never regret having visited 



THE VaLLKY of the KaNAWHA. J. E. II. 



RAILROAD ACCIDEKTS. 



From the American Railroad Journal. 



The late unfortunate accident on the Camden 

 and Amboy railroad has caused many remarks on 

 the danger of railroad travelling. 



Although we admit that there may be danger in 

 travelling on railroads at high velocities, we still 

 remain of the same opinion, often expressed in this 

 Journal, that the danger is not as great on railroads 

 as on steamboats, at least at equal velocities. We 

 arc desirous however, to do all in our power to pre- 

 vent accidents in either case, and therefore, it is 

 with great pleasure that we lay before our readers 

 the following communication from E. L. Miller, 

 Esq., a gentleman of much experience and reflec- 

 tion upon the subject of railroads and steam en- 

 gines. 



Danger of Travelling on Railroads. 



[For the American Railroad Journal.] 



Since the late fatal accident on the 'Camden and 

 Amboy railroad, the danger of this mode of trav- 

 elling has become a common topic of cianversation, 

 and a subject of frequent remark, in our public 

 journals, and the inquiry from all quarters appears 

 to be, is there no way of preventing the recurrence 

 of similar accidents .' 



In the few remarks I propose to make on the 

 subject, I have not the vanity to expect that I can 

 offer any suggestions which may produce this desi- 

 ralde result ; the most that I hope to effect, is to 

 call the attention of those who have the more im- 

 mediate superintendence of these works, to some 

 mode of obviating the danger, if, as 1 believe, this 

 desideratum be attainable. 



Fortunately passengers travelling by this im- 

 proved mode of conveyance are almost wholly ex- 

 empt from the danger arising from the explosion of 

 steam boilers ; not that the boiler of a locomotive 

 is less liable to explode, than the boilers of other 

 engines, but the small quantity of water it containSj 

 and the distance that the passengers are removed 

 from the boiler, render them in a great measure 

 secure from this source of danger. 



The principal danger to be apprehended arises 

 from the breaking of either the wheels or the axles, 

 from obstructions on the road, or from passing the 

 turnouts, and it must be very obvious that the dan- 

 ger in all these cases must be increased in propor- 

 tion to the velocity. I have never been an advo- 

 cate for travelling at a very high speed upon rail- 

 roads, and believe that all their useful purposes 

 may be as fully attained by a speed of twelve or 

 fourteen miles per hour, as by the more dangerous 

 one of twenty or thirty. 



With regard to the wheels and axles, I have lit- 

 tle douVil but a due attention to their construction 

 would obviate most of the danger. Since the out- 

 side bearing on the axles has been adopted, in order 

 to save friction, it has been common to reduce this 

 part of the axle to an inch and a half, or an inch and 

 three quarters in diameter. This would doubtless 

 be sufficient if we could always be sure of the best 

 quality of iron, and a perfect exemption from flaws, 

 but as we can never be sure of these, would it not 

 be advisable to sacrifice a little power to the in- 

 creased resistance, and make the bearings of the ax- 

 les 2;^ or 2| inches in diameter? If this were done, 

 and the axle, faggoted from the very best quality 

 of iron, they would possess so much extra strength, 

 as to render them perfectly safe under all circum- 

 stances, provided due attention were paid to keep 

 them oiled. 



With regard to the wheels, cast iron should ne- 

 ver in any case be tised for passenger cars. The 

 altogether wrought iron wheels is doubtless the 



