juring as many more and destroying a large amount of property. The explosion wrecked everything within a radius of half a mile. Jackson is principally a telegraph station, but a number of outfit cars were sidetracked at the place for the accommodation of the workmen and their families. Some of these cars, it is stated, were close to the spot where the explosion occurred. The occupants were either killed or badly injured. The telegraph operator's house was badly damaged. The accident was caused by a collision. Two locomotives and a steam shovel were wrecked and a hole one hundred feet in diameter and thirty feet deep was blown into the ground.-Roadmaster and Fore

man.

The Smallest Railroad. The smallest railroad in the world is the miniature railway now being laid through the streets of Hermosillo, Mexico, and across the river to Villa Seris. Its gauge is only 15 inches in width and the locomotive which will haul its train of five cars

weighs just 1,000 pounds, carrying 40 passengers. The entire train, including the engine, will weigh less than 20,000 pounds. Besides carrying passengers the Lilliputian road will be utilized for the hauling of oranges to the depot.-Albuquerque (New Mex.) Journal.

are provided with well-built, comfortable stations and generally with asphalt platforms, and a comparison of the casualty statistics of England and the United States shows an immense percentage in favor of the English management.-Chicago (Ill.) Chronicle.

The statement by Mr. Brooks that "the equipment of American railroads is far behind that of the English lines" is open to argument, and will not go unchallenged. No one will dispute that the roadbeds, stations, and signaling systems of England are among the best in the world, but when it comes to rolling stock and palatial train service, Americans will not believe that their railroads are surpassed or even approached by those of any other country in the world.

New Railroad Lamp.-The Maryland Division of the P. B. & W. Railroad has installed a new signal lamp that is somewhat of a novelty to the railroad men. The lamp is used only on the dwarf switches and will burn seven days and nights without being attended to. They are fitted with strong reflectors which throw a powerful light and will penetrate the thickest fog for a considerable distance. They can not be extinguished by the strongest wind and are a big improvement over the old-time oil lamps. Several of the new style lamps have been placed along the tracks in the local yards and burn all day as well as at night.Wilmington (Del.) News.

American vs. British Railroads.-There is a popular belief in this country that American railroads are much superior to those in England, both in equipment and in administration. Sidney Brooks, writing in Harper's Weekly, takes exception to this opinion and makes some interesting assertions to prove its fallacy. The equipment of the American railroads, says Mr. Brooks, is far behind that of the English lines. In England there are ninety-eight locomotives for every 100 miles of railroad and in America twenty; 307 passenger vehicles per 100 miles in England and eighteen in America; 3,161 freight cars per 100 miles in England and only 719 in America. The smallest villages

Ventilation of Pullman Cars.-The Pullman

lar attention to the ventilation of its cars. In the cars that have been built in the past the deck sashes in the coaches allow the sudden introduction of cold air in the winter. When these are closed the cars as a general thing resemble the interior of an oven. Several electric and steam roads have recently been testing a very simple device which provides for a fully adequate supply of fresh air, without draft and at the same time the withdrawal of the vitiated air from the cars.

The new ventilators are of simple construction, handsome appearance, and as durable as the Pullman car itself. They comprise two airways in the deck sash and an outside extension of two wings between them. The airways are carefully fitted with curves that deflect the intake of air toward the roof of the car,

precluding drafts. The wings intercept the air, eliminating all dust, smoke, cinders and moisture into the forward airway. The action of the air produces a partial vacuum behind the wings, providing a strong suction which draws out the foul gases through the real airway. If the direction of the car changes, the action of the ventilator reverses. All the space in the car is kept fresh and sweet without drafts or change of temperature. The airways are fitted with shutters which regulate the intake of air and can easily be adjusted when there are decided changes in weather conditions.-Denison (Texas) Herald.

Railway Building in Canada.-The Montreal (Canada) Gazette says: Ontario's experiment in the public ownership of railways is not justifying the predictions of those who advocated it. The Temiskaming road was expected to cost for 112 miles, $2,234,000. The commission which has charge of the work of construction now thinks it can be built for $3,332,000. The calculation of the government was more than a million dollars out. In addition to this it has been found advisable to extend the line a further ninety miles, and this, it is calculated, will cost $2,700,000. So the road that was first expected to cost $2,234,000 will cost nearly three times that sum, or $6,032,000. It was promised, also, that the road would be built without any cost to the provincial treasury. The commission was to issue bonds to pay for the construction. These bonds were to be guaranteed by the government of the province, and were expected to be provided for, as to interest at least, out of the revenues of the road. When they were offered to the public, however, the price that could be obtained showed that they were considered as second-class securities, and they were not disposed of. It is now proposed to advance the money of the province to the commission on the security of the bonds, which is simply a roundabout way of the province paying for the construction of the road. The road itself is in the most curious situation for testing public ownership. It touches no traffic-producing points, and if it should become a link between the Grand Trunk system, at North Bay, and the National Transcontinental,

it will be too short to have any practical influence in the regulation of rates. The project has been a blunder from the beginning; it is likely to be one to the end.

Makes Them Owl-Eyed.-" Does it make a difference? Well, I should say so-look at Jim there! He's been on nights for years, and he is 'owl-eyed.'" "Big Jake," of Engine 470, was explaining to a visitor the effect of night work on a railroad man, and the "horrible example" was James Bousman.

"Jim is a friend of mine, and at night he is the best yardman in the West," "Big Jake" declared, "but in the daytime-now look there! The blind beggar will break his fool neck."

The subject of the engineer's compliment, while it was being paid and as though to prove what was to follow from his big friend, hit his toe on a switch rod and came within an inch of falling.

"But in the daytime," continued the engineer, "he's no good. He can't see, to begin with, and then he doesn't know the signals. He's had me rattled all day with his fool night signals. Instead of giving the regular signal, he will stand out there with his hand in the air, and imagine that he is swinging a lantern, and wondering why I don't back up or go ahead-see him now. Wouldn't that ditch you?"

Down the track half a block Mr. Bousman stood erect, with one hand high over his head. Evidently he imagined that he was giving a signal and he must have been wondering why the engine stood still.

"Go down and see what he wants," said he to the fireman. "No, wait till he gets tired and comes up here, if he can find the engine. Here; I'll wake him up," and with that he blew the whistle. "If he gets between the rails maybe he will run into us."

Bousman finally lowered his hand, took a paper out of his pocket, looked at it a minute, and then gave the day signal to "back."

The Successful Use of Oil as Fuel.

It is a notable fact that electric and pneumatic machinery has been invented and installed in manufactories during the past few years to such an extent that now there is scarcely a well-regulated manufactory or shop in the country that has not these modern appliances; and while the reputation of these was being established, a new fuel has been engaging the attention of the people. It has now been proven beyond any question of doubt that liquid fuel is the ideal fuel, because by its use there is increased efficiency and elimination of the smoke nuisance. While in some localities the price seems to make the use of liquid fuel prohibitory, yet, when its merits are fully demonstrated and the various economics effected by its use considered, we find that this fuel is fast coming into favor, and that it is destined to be the fuel of the twentieth century.

In the United States efforts were made to use crude oil as fuel soon after its discovery in Pennsylvania, but California, owing to the scarcity and cost of coal, has made the greatest advancement. Today in the United States alone there are locomotives on twenty-six railroads equipped for the burning of oil and giving unqualified success. In fact, these railroads, even with oil at a much increased price, would loath to return to the use of coal, because of the much greater efficiency effected by the use of oil fuel and the elimination of the smoke and cinder nuisance. It is but a question of a few years when the traveling public will demand the use of this fuel on all locomotives pulling passenger trains.

The many thousands of stationary boilers, iron and brass foundries and furnaces, brick-kilns, etc., successfully equipped with liquid fuel in California have given this fuel an incomparable reputation. In blacksmith shops alone the contrast is wonderful, for when using oil the blacksmith does not have to wait upon the iron to heat, but on the other hand the iron waits upon the man, and thus the output of the shops are greatly increased. According to Rankine, the well known authority, one pound of crude oil equals 21,733 B. T. U. while the best Welsh coal only contains 15,837 B. T. U., and from these figures the superiority of

oil over coal as a heat producer can be readily seen. As there is no corrosion the welds are more perfect. The workmen in the shops favor oil fuel because the temperature of the shop is reduced and the smoke and gases are eliminated.

Before the battle of Santiago de Cuba some of our vessels needed coal, our colliers had the needed supplies, but climatic conditions prevented the colliers coming close enough to the battleships to unload their cargo. With oil this difficulty

would have been averted, for a hose could easily have been attached and the fuel pumped from one vessel to the other. The speed with which liquid fuel can be put aboard can be readily seen from the fact that one of the Hamburg-American liners, the C. Ferdinand Laersz, took on at Singapore 360 tons of crude oil (2,140 barrels) in two hours' time.

The economy effected by the use of oil fuel can be estimated from the following extract from Bulletin No. 2 of the California Petroleum Miners' Association: "The Steamer Murex of the Shell Transport & Trading Co. (England), steamed from Singapore to London via Cape Town, a distance of 11,830 miles, using a total of 5,000 barrels, or 769 tons, of crude oil during the trip. The oil was stored in the forepeak. This vessel averaged 9.7 knots on 15.1 tons for the main engines, and nearly 2 tons for the auxiliary engines each 24 hours. Had the ship been burning coal the corresponding consumption of Welch coal would have been 1,200 tons, or with the Japanese or other varieties to be obtained in the east 1,500 tons, as against the 769 tons of crude oil. This company has 27 steamers, of which 25 are fitted up as oil burners giving perfect satisfaction, and Sir Marcus Samuel, president of the company and lord mayor of London, emphatically says that "there are no disadvantages to liquid fuel whatever."

The dust and dirt which always accompanies the use of coal fuel and the arduous labor necessary in handling the coal vanishes with the introduction of liquid fuel. The number of vessels using oil is fast increasing and the owners of those already equipped are more than satisfied with the results, and as Sir Marcus Samuel says, "we only wonder that the ship owners are not falling over each other in adopting it, instead of continuing

to use the cumbersome coal which causes so much dirt, loss of time, loss of money, and loss of patience." There is less dan ger in using oil as fuel than with coal, for, should a tube burst or any other accident occur, the fire with liquid fuel can be instantly extinguished by simply shutting off the supply of oil to burners. Precau

tion, however, should be taken to so arrange the vents of oil tanks as to prevent any accumulation of gases and that none of the escaping gases will become ignited by flame from torches, matches, etc. Liquid fuel, scientifically handled (for the proper equipment is a science), is perfectly safe, and if proper equipment and

because this fuel contains the greater number of heat units and has the advantage both in weight and space. The bunker space of these vessels is very limited. In a measure these experiments gave satisfactory results, but there were disappointments because they could not eliminate the smoke and flame from the stacks. In fact, often there was even more smoke and flame emitted while using oil than while using coal. The Russian fleet on the Caspian and Black seas burn oil, but they do not reach that degree of perfection in combustion so essential in time of war.

Our Government has just ended a series

Since the introduction of torpedo boats into the navies of the world, efforts have been made to find a suitable fuel for these boats, for they must, under cover of night, steal in on the unsuspecting enemy, throw their torpedo and escape. With coal the column of smoke emitted from the stacks is such that often the smoke can be seen long before the parts of the vessel. In order to make this type of warriors a success there must be absolutely perfect combustion, for, if smoke is emitted they herald their approach to the enemy. Nearly all the civilized nations have been experimenting for a number of years with liquid fuel to find a method of burning it whereby combustion would be perfect,

now the torpedo boat Gwin has been equipped with a system of oil burning which proves satisfactory in every respect. The tests on this boat were so perfect that they have met the requirements of the most exacting, and the most skeptical have now been convinced that what has been done in stationary boilers of various types and on locomotives can be done in marine service. Not only was all the smoke and flame eliminated, but also a greater efficiency was obtained by the use of liquid fuel than had ever been made while using coal as fuel, and there is no doubt but that the fuel question on torpedo boats, torpedo boat destroyers, and battleships will be revolu tionized.

The photo of the Gwin was taken during dock test on December 1, 1903, in the Norfolk Navy Yard, while the vessel was lashed to the dock and the engines at full speed were displacing the water, and with not a trace of smoke or flame being emitted from the stack. While the photo was being taken, the engine was making 285 revolutions per minute, which is five revolutions more than had ever been made using coal as fuel. This speed was maintained during the tests.

The system of oil burning with which the Gwin has been equipped, differs from all others in principle and is simplicity itself. The oil is thoroughly atomized and burns with a bright incandescent flame, because the peculiar construction of the burners used is such that as the oil passes out of the oil cavity it is struck by the atomizer, each drop of oil is dashed into ten thousand molecules, and the volatile gases then readily mingle with the oxygen and combustion is perfect. The burners are so simple that anyone with average intelligence can learn to operate them, and after being once set require but little attention, as they never carbonize because the atomizer is above the oil and the oil is exteriorly atomized. Crude oil of 16 gravity was used during the tests and was heated to 130 degrees F. to make it more volatile. Either steam or compressed air can be used as atomizer for the burners. On vessels compressed air is compulsory, because the use of steam as atomizer means a waste of water; but the construction of these burners is such that should any accident occur which would disable the air compressor, by merely opening a by-pass valve the change can be instantly made from compressed air to steam from boilers as atomizer. The air pressure used is 60 pounds, and this air is superheated in a heater-coil in the smokebox of the boiler to 318 degrees F. The air openings for the admission of the oxygen necessary for combustion are so arranged that the air is superheated before it mingles with the volatile gases by passing through the hollow refractory brick. The strictest economy in fuel is obtained by superheating the atomizer, superheating the air admitted to the firebox, and being careful to allow no superfluous air to be admitted. The Gwin has an 850 H. P. Normandy boiler, and 230 pounds steam pressure was carried and maintained. The temperature of the boiler room while using 3-inch forced draft, which was the highest draft necessary with oil fuel, was 12 degrees higher

than what the thermometer registered on deck.

It is indeed fortunate for the American Government that they are the first to acquire the art of burning liquid fuel on torpedo boats. We are now a more formidable enemy than ever before, for our vessels can now accomplish the very purpose for which they are constructed. As a nation we are proud to say that our countrymen have won the honor so long coveted by students of calorics throughout the entire world. The tests just ended have been a revelation to many who previously practically condemned liquid fuel, but who now have been convinced that by this system with this fuel not only can all smoke and flame be eliminated, but also a greater efficiency can be gained from the engines. The system of oil burning with which the Gwin has been equipped is in successful operation on a great many railroads in the United States, in stationary boilers, brick-kilns, iron furnaces, crematories, etc. These inventions are covered by patents in nineteen countries and are owned by the W. N. Best International Calorific Co., of Los Angeles, Cal. CORRESPONDENT.

Routine Air Brake Instruction for

Freight Train Enginemen.

Before the engineman or trainman begins to educate himself on the air brake, before he learns why certain things are done, he should inform himself as to the regular duties required of him in connection with the Air: Making up the train, getting the engine out and ready, and the care and operation of the air brakes out on the road.

Of course, the engineer's duty is to know that the air brake apparatus on the engine is in proper condition before leaving, and it is not the purpose to include in this article instructions as to testing the different parts to know that they are working all right-that has been given so frequently, before.

The lubricator to oil the air pump has been filled and the main reservoirs drained. About the first thing upon getting up in the cab to get the engine out for the trip is to "crack," or slightly open the pump throttle. When you've one leg of your overalls on open the throttle a little more, and so forth, until when you are clad in your "pajamas" the pump will be beating slow and regularly against a little pressure that cushions the