Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-12-31
Danger Signals.

Each of the brakemen and conduct
ors employed upon the steam railroads
is supplied with lamp upon which his
name is engraved. It is intended to be
his companion and to be carried by
him not only on the train, but also to
and from his home. It is mounted
upon a shining brass base. All the
metal work npon it is carefully rubbed,
and not speck OF dust is permitted to
be on the glass. Brakemen are sup.
piled with red, or danger, lamps, and
conductors white, or starting, lamps.
The value of these lamps is rarely APP
preciated or even understood by trav.
elers. Many lives have been saved and
many have been lost through them
alone. The number OF lives that have
been endangered by the mishaps of
lamps cannot be estimated. The loss
Of red lamp. missing wick, wick
that will not burn, causes grave alarm
in the locomotive cab. The break in a
train, the discovery OF blockade, q
sudden stop, call for the instant use of
the red lamp. If no red lamp is at
hand pot Of red paint or a piece of
red flannel is used to cover white one.
The flannel is more in use, for it is
easy to carry and easily used. A bit of
fat can be substituted for an unwilling
wick; it burns as well for five minutes.
A fast train is easily divided by the
breaking of coupling.pin. The en-
gineer may not be able to run back for
the detached cars, and they must,
therefore, wait for the next train. If
the weather is misty, the absence of a
red lamp from the rear one of these
cars is terrible menace 10 life.
Philadelphia better railroad lamps are
manufactured, and each train is sup
piled with one. two, three or more,
according to its length. Two red lamps
are placed on the platform of the last
car Of the elevated railroad trains from
dusk until daylight. No danger need
be apprehended in clear morning or
clear night. Upon foggy night o
collision might almost be expected to
follow break in train, the red lamps
being scarcely perceptible and the
trains running closely-if it were not
that the distance between the stations
is 80 short, and that the extra precau-
ton is taken of putting fagman on
the rear car. The presence of this
fagman is unknown to most passengers.
His fag-nothing mort than yard OF
bright red fannel-is only seen when
it is nervously waved in the air as he
runs along the track toward an ap.
preaching train. And it is a danger
GUS run in any kind of weather. En-.
gineers and brakemen have many tales
of lucky escapes to tell; yet luck
is much smaller factor of safety
than is their own remarkable pres
ence of mind. Danger is seen by
them and averted in an instant. One
moment scores of lives are within the
ring of death, the next the train il
speeding onward with the only disad
vantage of being sixty seconds behind
the schedule time. One night last
summer Long Island railroad train
approaching Jamaica on its way te
Hunters Point, broke" and four cars
were left behind. The only lamp on
the train-a red one-was in charge OIL
brakeman, who, in his excitement
let it fall. Only small bit Of rec
, glass remained upon it. A Jaraaici
train was expected momentarily. TIT
passengers apparently did not under
, stand the cause of the stop, nor were
t they. much interested. The conductor
. relighted the lamp and nailed it to {
pine stick. Holding it aloft with thu
red glass turned toward the approach
ing train, he conveyed warning which
prevented disastrous collision.-N. Y
Tribuae