AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 555 



by myself in 1851, and for which patent was issued in 1853, was 

 radically different from any device heretofore made. Although it is 

 constantly called a patent brake, it is not a patent brake, but a pa- 

 tent brakeman. It always appeared to me that the present brakes 

 were good enough if they could only be brought to bear when most 

 needed. I do not believe, in fact all experience demonstrates the 

 truth of my position, that for the prevention or mitigation of 

 accidents, the present brakes applied by hand are totally useless, 

 not because the brakes are not good enough, but because they are 

 not brought into action. A short time since I was present on the 

 Hudson Eiver railroad, at a trial of the great American car brake, 

 previously spoken of; the train was stopped by the usual methods 

 within 450 feet. I could hardly conceive of a better illustration 

 of the efficiency of the present brakes. Now if I could only 

 satisfy myself that the brakeman Avould always be at his post, 

 would always understand perfectly the signals, would never 

 jump off amid the crashing of timbers, I should be about willing 

 to stop and say perfection was attained, blit the sad calamities of 

 Norwalk, Burlington, Gasconade and others too numerous to men- 

 tion, teach a far different lesson. 



Transmitting information by signals, however perfectly con- 

 structed, is by no means as certain as direct action; and the 

 human machine is not near so reliable in the performance of its 

 duty as the metal. I stated in the preceding part of this paper 

 that it was an acknowledged principle in mechanics that what 

 could be done by mechanism could be better done than by manual 

 labor, hence I hold that a mechanical device for closing the 

 brakes is infinitely more certain and reliable than manual labor. 

 Mr. Chairman : I recollect reading, some years ago, a most 

 vivid description of the behavior of the steamship " Great Wes- 

 tern" in a storm; it may be familiar to most of you while the 

 storm was at its height, and the ship rolled and tossed like a 

 feather, and the passengers all panic stricken with fear, expect- 

 ing every moment to go down; the ponderous engine, true to its 

 duty, continued to revolve, perfectly regardless of the danger 

 around it, and at length the storm abated and the ship was saved. 

 The incident made an impression on my mind of the superiority 

 of mechanism in times of danger : and so, too, I have seen the 

 wheels of a factory revolving with their accustomed speed amid 

 the circling flames and the crashing timbers around them. Can 

 we not have a mechanical brakeman to each car, tliat will do his 

 duty even through an open draw, or an approaching train be within 



