, 1874-03-08

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| ENGLISH RAILWAYS.
John Bull, careful, nettodica1, exact and
withal usually esteemed eafo, has, nevertheless.
much chronic difficulty With his railways. He
has his own idea Of the merits Of his system as
compared with That Of ether nations, and
especially the American, and his standing criti-
cism and little joke is, thai, whereas his own
signal for starting train is All right" that of
the Yankee nation is Il Go ahead" Some years
ago the famous Muller Briggs murder upon the
North London Railway startled the British pub
| lie, and they awoke to the fact that no means of
communication existed between the passengers
locked in train Of carriages aad the operatives
by means of which disasters in the various
guises Of fire, murder, robbery, ETC.. could be
prevented or mitigated. A hundred inventions
we're proposed, the columns Of the newspapers
were filed with suggestions, travellers supplied
/ themselves with keys in defiance Of las (one
Judge sentenced prisoner for carrying key
while acknowledging that he himself was in the
habit Of using one), old women staid at home in
dire fear Of calamity and-the matter finally
blew over.
! 4 more serious difficulty now threatens the
peace OF mind Of the travelling public. Acct
| dents with the accompanying loss of Life andlimb
have increased in an alarming ratio. A single
| month recently was extremely prolific in dlsas-
ter. On the 1st I'd, 4th, 5th, 9Th, 7th, 8th, 9Th,
| 10Th. 18th, 18th, 22d 23d, and 25th, wero accl-
dents varying from broken axle to the daahing
OF freight into an excursion train in a fog;
and often two or more accidents occurred the
same day. In tho Metropolitan Underground
Railway, not long ago, half disabled engine
broke down completely in tunnel, and the1eup-
on, in the smoke and darkness, came rushing
in another express. Cnrious1y enough many
OF the disasters-t ia hardly to the point to call
them accideuts-happen il the stathn-houses
or depot grounds, and large proportion OF this
class takes place dur1ng the switching-or
'shuntlng" as it is termed-of slow trains
which arc waiting for the passage Of the express
trains. ANY one who has travelled in q fast train
on tho trunk lines Of English railways will have
vivid recollection OF the clouds OF dust, the
crash and clatter, the momentary glimpse Of
platform with few or many people standing on
it, the brick wall and the scrap Of flower garden.
the wild confusion Of rails aud Signals, which
crowd upon his mind as the train rushee through
3 town with no abatement OF sreed. Few, per-
haps, realize how much their safety depends
upon the system Of switches and signals, the &c
curacy OF tho timetables, or the e1actncss with
zn1,; nh t1,ap FoJ1 IN
cepting perhaps q few, q morning and evening
passenger train with freight train or two
comprises the entire traffic. The station-
master at the intermediate etat;s ,ns looks upon
the arrival Of the train as the eve at OF the day,
and the idea Of one train so q ,ick1y following
another that the adjustment Of the track and
switches ia OF instant and Vi tai importance,
would seem proposterous. Far different is it in
England. At Retford lone OF he few "level'
crossings) 933 trains week arc passing and re-
500 regular trains-to Say noth1 ig Of 'specials +"
and excureions"-pasa duri1 e every twenty
four hours.
To control and regulate this immense traffic
over the complicated system Of tracks and
switches, what is called the ~ block Bystem OF
electric signals has been esta blshed. Tho OBJ
ject stated in word, is to i1 nure the safety OF
+ train by signal hat the train
preceding it has arrive at tho next
static II (the average distal ice between Sta
tlons is about two :miles), Il AUS providing an
absolutely clear track. Until train arrives. the
signal at any station, being controlled by tho
signal man at the station nj ut further on, de-
note "danger," and thus is created "block,"
train being compelled to nit till ali is "clear"
Nevertheless, in spite Of tn; ID elaborate and cost
" system, many accidents take place on those
lines upon which it is estab li4hcd which has led
to difference Of opinion among 1ailwsy Off
cias as to its merits. soE Claim it to DO An abb
solute safeguard; while others consider that,
owing to the engino-drive ts and other servants
relying too much upon Its COZ apleteness. they
become careless aud int iidere ot, in place Of
maintaining Blcepless. vlt ;ilance. Exam
nations by the Courta hat q elected lit
tlo beyond the assertions Of tn higher railway
of8ciaI7, that al mearss had been taken to
insure safety, aud tho ctsmp1ain: OF tbs ser7ants
that they were orerxoe;ked and renda1sd in:a~