The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-11
Railroad Danger Signals.

Each of the brackemen and conductors
employed upon the steam railroads is
supplied with lamp, upon which bis
name is engraved 1t is intended to be
his companion and to be carried by him
not only on the train but also to and from
his home. 1t is mounted upon shining
brass base. AL the metal work upon it
is carefully rubbed. and not a speck of
dust is permitted to be On the glass
Brakemen are supplied with red or dan
ger lamps, and conductors with white or
starting lamps. The value of these lamps
is rarely appreciated or even understood
by travellers. Many lives have been saved
and many been lost through them alone
The number of lives that have been en-
dangered by the mishaps OF the lamps
cannot be estimated. The loss Of red
lamp. missing wick. wick that will not
burn, cause grave alarm In the locomotive
cab. Il break in train. tho discovery of
blockade, sudden stop, call for the in
stanct use of the rod lamp. Ii no red
lamp is at hand pot of red paint or
piece OF red flannel is used TO cover a
white one The flannel is more 10 use
for it is easy 10 carry and and easily used
| A bit OF fat can be substituted for an
unwilling wick it burns as we'll for five
minutes A fast train is easily divided by
the breaking of coupling pin The
engineer may not be able to run back TO
the detached cars, and they must, there
| fore wait for the next train. &c the
weather is misty, the absence Of red lamp
| from the rear of one of thesescars is a
terrible menace to life.
| Since the Centennial exhibition in
| Philadelphia better railroad lamps are
manufactured and each train supplied
with one, two three or more according to
| iss 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 APP
pretended in q clear morning or clear
night. Upon u ioRgy night a collision
might almost be expected TO follow a
break in a train, tbs red lamps being
scarcely psroeptible and the trains running
closely--if it were not that the distance
| between tho stations is so short and that
the extra pTecaution is taken a putting a
| flagman 90 the rear car The presence OF
this fagmap is unknown to most passen
gers. His haE-nothing more than yard
OF bright rel tunnels only seen when
il is nervously waived 10 the air as he runs
along the track toward an approaching
train. And il is a dangerous run in any
| kind Of weather. Engineers aud break
| mo1 have many tales OF lucky escapes to
tell; yet luck is much smaller factor OF
safety than is their own remarkable pres
enco Of mind Danger is seen By them
and averted in en- instant, One moment
scores OF lives are within the range of
death; the next the train is speeding on
ward with the only disadvantage of being
sixty seconds behind the schedule time
| One night last summer a Long Island
railroad train, approaching Jam aica on it's
way TO Hunters Point, broke. and four
cars were left behind. The only lamp on
the train-a red one-was in charge of a
brakeman, who in his excitement let it
fail. Only small biz of red glass re-
manned upon 1t. A Jamaica train was
expected momcntarily, The passengers
apparently did not understand the cause
of the stop, nor were they much interested
The conductor reiiehted the lamp and
nailed it to pine stick, Holding it aioft
with the red right towards the approach
ing train, be conveyed a warning which
prevented disastrous collision.