Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-22
Color Blindness.

One of the most interesting subjects
| brought out hy modern applied science is
that of color blindness Il thing which,
| though known eNprrimentally for many
| years, has only within Il year or two recciv-
| ed any practical attention, and thing which
is proved in many respects 10 br ot vital
importance. 1t was long ago surmiscd that
this imperfreIion of the sense Of sight was
far more common than was generally sup
| posed and it is now established that IL
| affects Il certain fixed pcrcentagrof the whole
number of living human hringS. While in
many occupations the iniirmly would hr
| of little or n1 consequence, in others IL
would he IA matter of the gr;IvrSl moment.
| Take for instance the ease of railroad EN-
plOyes. A moments thought will show the
importance Of having all these clear -visinneL
and prompt in distinguishing positive colnrs.
The danger signals along the tracks Of most
of our railroads are sci hy cOlnrs, whil,. the
witch-lights and lanterns are''n three colurs.
white red and green, each having its own
important significance and liable at any mo
ment To be flashed half Ia quarter of a mile
ahead of an on-rushing train. II those who
should be forewarned by it are unable 10 dis
tinguish the colors or even To see the light.
what safety is there for the passengers or
freight in the cars behind. Recognizing the
Importance of the matter, Mr. Holcum Hos
ford so well known nthis part Of NrrmnnD.
the manager of the Lowell Mass. railroad,
instituted Il thorough color and vision exam
nation of the employees of the road This
was done by Dr. Il. Joy Jefrries the rmin-
nent Boston physician, who has really made
the subject of color-blindness his own. and
his report is surprising. Out of uinrty-four
employees constantly called upon to distin-
guish lights by their color two were found
to be color blind and eighteen below the
visual standard. The Massachusetts railway
commissioners are now examining these men
for themselves, and if DIR. Jeffrirs' report is
sustained the cntirr force of railway-en-
gineors, tiremcn and switchmcn in the State
will be tested for their visual powers. When
this is done the commissioners will recon-
mend 10 the legislature that a system be in
augurated by which applicants for place in
the Massachusetts railway service hc tested
for their efficiency of vision and observation
of color, aad that none be employed except
those provided with license showing that
their sight is not defective an example that
may well be flllowedin in other States. Among
the facts elected by the agitation Of this sub
ject are that station agent at n lar-c town
near Boston has one glass eve; that an en-
gineer ON Il fast mail train has wholly lost
the sight of one eve; that freight yard
switch-tcndcr cannot detect green light and
that a bridge tender in the western part "i
the State has the use Of only one eve. and Is
color-bliud in the good one. Two disastrous
accidents, one in Massachusetts, and the
other in New Jersey, are believed lo have oc-
CURED directly through the inability of. in
one case. the engineer, and the other. oi the
swtchman, To distinguish at a distance the
color of the signal and switch lights
and undoubtedly many more otherwise unac-
railway disasters have been owing
to similar causes