Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-18
COIOr-Blindness.

The Railroad Men-The New Rules Sub- mftted by Col. Wright-Accompnny | Letter.
 A letter was forwarded to the State Board
 of Health yesterday by Col. Wright, attorney | for the railroad employees. Accompanying it were the new rules devised as a substitute for ! the past methods in examinations for color ! blindness. The documents read as follows {: NEW HAVEN. Conn.,. Aug. Is, 1SSO To the Hon. State Board of Health: Gentlemen-Enclosed please find the rules for the examination of railroad employees, which my clients desire your Board to adopt, and which requested me to draft and submit for your consideration.
 the public Is safer without the with it that the science of color blindness df indeed 1t may be called science) is st least in it's infancy that there is in State nation legally tabulated set of rules in force test for the existence of ess the ones in by the State Board of Health ; and that the application of the tests adopted by Board s not such to increase the safety of travel the railroad employees.
 tca way by the officers of railroads, during long pe- rod of time before they promoted to responsible safety to the travelling public especially when the in terest. the responsibility the property and outfit railroad corporations all combine to have none but competent persons employed
 The law is also crude its provisions, uncertain
 to of its enactments, and might with propri-
 ety. be suspended in its operations till the next sion of the General Assembly, so to be made !
 being used it must necessarily be it stands
 only for the purpose of gathering statistics for the de-
 subjecting meritorious class of workingmen to be expermented upon. Nevertheless we do not ask for executed in a just to the employees and safe
 to public and both of these ends may be secured provided by the rules submitted. In order to expedite the work and to provide D
 of sitting out the deficient ones the third introduced, providing for preliminary examina- tion.
 containing reasonable suggestions to the that might be used and the circumstances under which schedule "An shall be adopted a ruIe shall send
 duplicate of this letter. said rules and schedule A both the secretary and to Mir. Burr that they may the surely be received by the in the sence of the other.
 when and where the board will next convene which trust will be soon, that myself and the chairman of ! any questions or make further suggestions. I am respectfully. DEXTER R. WRIGHT, Attorney for Railroad Employees. The rules and accompanying schedule re- ferred to in the above are follows Rules submitted by railroad employees to the State Board of Health for adoption: Rule l. All railroad employees required to be ex- amned under the law of March 25 1880 shall be sub
 jected to the practical tests they subject ed to in the course of their employment and not to fanciful or theoretical tests.
 Rule 2. All examinations for detecting color blind and ascertaining the visual power shall be ducted with such flags lights and other signals only as shall conform in all respects nearly prac-
 cAb1e to those in actual by the railroads of this State and all examinations shall be made under the same circumstances, so far practicable, those that occur in the actual operation of said railroads iRule 9-As only small percentage of those to be examined color blind have defective vision no objection is made to preliminary examination with the same tests those mentioned in rule second and under circumstances varied from those specified therein to suit the convenience of the examiner and secure dispatch in making examinations Bluff such preliminary examination shall give rise to suspic ion that the employe is color blind has defective vision in any degree he shall be subjected to the full test provided for in said rule second
 Rule 4-In granting certificates, the success and perience of the empoye during the time he has been engaged in railroad service shall be duly considered
 Rule 5-Au rules and regulations of the State Board Of Health inconsistent with these rules repealed
 Schedule A Being suggestions.
 Signals to be used may be red, white and green flags and lights.
 Tests for supposed color blindness-The applicant shall be able to distinguish the flags from the other; also lights, from the other In this test distance is not to be regarded.
 Tests for visual power-A red or white flag dis played 80 rods of In this list the flag used or waved with energy and rapidity, in the same q person would use it to flag approaching train
 green flag being used train signal, distance is not material.
 Signals as at mast head of drawbridge, by day night, 150 rods of
 Switch targets by day, same distance as flags; to wit, 80 rods Tests to be made under fair conditions If atJno hara