Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-06
LOCAL NEWS.
COlOr-BlindnesS.

The Petttions-The State Board of Health More Testimony from Prominent Rail-
 road Men.
 Dr. Chamberlain, secretary of the State Board of Health, stated, Wednesday evening, that while no time had yet been definitely settled upon for hearing the committee of railroad engineers on modification of the rules for examining for color-bllndness, the board would probably meet very soon for that purpose. The hearing will be held in Hartford, where the sessions of the board uniformly occur.
 A noted railway official says 1.-The prime factor in the problem of passenger railway traffic is safety and nobody knows thls bet ter. or feels it more keenly, than do the man apers of railroads. If, therefore, I felt that this act really helped in that direction, l should feel kindly towards 1t, even If 1t did make us and our employees some trouble But this country has been railroading about half a century, and has run over o5,00o miles of railroad, probably over 30,0OO eng1- neers, as many firemen, proximately the same number of conductors two or three times as many brakemen, and I know not how many signal and switchmen, and yet, so far AS I have learned, there has never been an accident in the country of any kind, great or small, resulting from color-blndness. The evil seems, therefore, purely imaginary, and ! banned that our HIGH dI0 NOII1Su ONCI distinctions of shades of worsteds, etc, about which they can't be expected to know much, (and about which no one cares that they should, if they can unerringly distinguish our red, white and green signals ln all cases Anvbody can see that with reference to this prime factor, safety to passengers, 1t IS vastly more important to have an engineer Of long experience with his engine and road, who knows nothing about colors beyond readily ,-I,i and white from each other and who is known to be man oi good character and habits, than to have any new man who may have passed an excellent examination on the nomenclature and specific differences of color tints plnced in the engine cab.''
 Petitions addressed to the State Board ot Health in behalf of railroad employees, in tht matter of examination for color blindness and defective vision were circulated in Water bury yesterday, and received numerous slg natures. In New Haven thousands of names have been put down. Hon. Vim. D. Bishop heads the petition circulated in Bridgeport Mir Bishop was in this city Wednesday ana met number of the engineers lie consid cred the tests now used unnecessarily severe and of an impracticable character, and VII do all in his power to assist the railroad me1 from further subjection to the German army sharpshooters' test He believes ln ( practical. not a theoretical test and thlnk; this all the public or any sensible persor should require.
 Personal.
 Col Wm. Jonathan Judd, the polite ano affable porter of the postoffice of this city, Ii off on a two weeks vacation. r
 The funeral of Mrs. Martha Bradley, for merIy of East Haven, took place at the par, lors of the East Grand street M. E. churct Tuesday at D. m., Rev. Messrs. Parklngtor and Vibberts officiating. Mrs Bradley wal a widow and had attained the advanced agt of seventy-seven years.
 Jesse Ludington and family, of Fair Haven have returned from the White Mountains H. Lee Mallory and wife leave Saturday fol the Litchfield hills, and H. w. Crawford anc family are back from summering at Double Beach. Rev. Mir. Burlington has months leave and goes to Montreal and Quebec.
 Stephen Stone. the oldest Middlebury man died a few days ago. His age was 93 Mir Stone was a member of the Congregations church, having united with it in 1877, thu making membership of 63 years, the great est of any in the church. The funeral wa largely attended on Monday afternoon.
 Campaign Jotttngs.
 Hartford Republicans have chosen l.. E Lieut.. B. Merriam delegates to the State con vention.
 The new census brings out vividly the enor mites of the rotton borough system of Con necticut Four towns with a population O about 4, ,OO0 send to the State House of Rep resentatives as many legislators as do New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport and Waterbur! with population of 15O,OO0
 The Republicans of Seymour orgained campaign club Wednesday evening and ap pointed the following set of officers: Presi dent, Dr. E. R. Warner; secretary, Davi' Evans, jr; treasurer, Samuel H. Garfield vice presidents, Wm. B. Sherman, H. S. Hal igan, Moves E. Bassett, Joseph Ineson, Rob ert Healey, Samuel Butler, F. H. Smith Frederick Harris, W. J. Warren, Albert A Lockwood, F. A. Rugg. A large numbe were present and the meeting was very CT thusiastic.
 Waterbury Republicans delegates to tn several conventions are; State-Israt