The Star. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1882.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4544, 16 November 1882, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1882.

A xizk has bebk BBorifioed by tke Waitati railway accident. That deplorable fact hai cerred to re-kindle the interest of the general public, and to impress the circumstances of the Blueskin mishap more durably upon the memory. On a former occasion wo dealt briefly with the report that had been issued by the Bailway officials who oonducted the " purely departmental " enquiry, and plainly expressed our dissatisfaction thereat. It was submitted that for the public good it was essential that suoh enquiries should be oonducted with open doors, and that the examiners should be men of standing, who were absolutely unconnected with the management or the railways. The subsequent loss of a life has not rendered this course one whit the more neoessary ; it has simply emphasised the claim previously put ; forward. We repeat the assertion that the result of the enquiry was eminently unsatisfactory. The railway officials expressed themselves unable to offer any explanation as to the cause of the accident. The engine left the rails — that at any rate was patent. There has been another instance of a similar nature, and it is alleged that two other suoh accidents have happened recently, but hare been "hushed up." Presumptuous as it may appear, we purpose to offer a possible, and eren a probable, explanation of the Blueekin mystery. It has been elicited that the wheels ef tke engine were considerably worn,, though the statement has also been made that the amount of wear was not sufficient to constitute a dangerous feature. In our former article a desire waß expressed to know how xnuoh " the flanges " were worn, and for that wish there was a speoial reason. If we take the original conditions of a line of railway — new wheels and new rails— the bearing ■urfaces will be indioated on the rails by bright lines probably not more than the eighth of an inoh wide, owing to the faotthat the new rails hare a rounded oontour, and that the faces of the wheel and flange hare suoh an outline as will redmce friction to the lowest limit. Those curved outlines seem to embody the same principle as is obserred in the safe riding of a strap upon a convex pulley, and to conduce to smooth running. With suoh wear as is due to unevenly or loosely laid rails, badly fitted joints, and sharp curves, the flanges are worn away until their section resembles a chisel edge: they have become wedge-shaped. Bearing this in mind, ltt it be remembered that the rails are re-adjusted from time to time " to take up the slack." Let it also "be remembered that the acoident happened at a ourre, and that whilst rounding a curve the flangei of the wheels must be subjected to the greatest amount of pressure. If the rails ara in the least degree tight as to gauge the tendenoy will be to pinoh the wheels upward, causing one or both flanges to mount the rails. Worn, wedge-shaped flanges mußt aid in the result, and the effectiveness of the operation will be increased to a remarkable degree if the wheels of the engine are large, and are mounted in a rigid framework. The writer | of a letter whioh appeared in the Lyttdton Times a day or two sinoe, said : "If the use of the F olass of engines is continued there fon the Blueskin curves] we shall hear of further accidents." The F engines, we believe, have their wheels mounted in a rigid framework !