Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-04-02

TIE RAILROAD TELLTALE.
4 Maehiss that Records the Distance Travelled
the Speed and Stops Of Trains.

An ingenious machine, called
the "tslltale," has been introduced
recently on the Erie Railroad. 1t
registers the speed Of trains, when
and where they stop and how long.
It IL used especially for freight
trains, and 10 fastened ct either end
Of small cabooses or ut the side OF
large cabooses about four and q
half feet from the floor. It was
adopted because freight trains fire..
Quently exceeded the prescribed
rate Of speed. They would run very
fast for some distance, and then
take things comfortably for . time.
The machine works ~ follows:
A screw 10 wound around one of
the journals or axles Of the caboose.
A red, which 10 turned by the
screw - soon - the train is in mo-
ton, runs horizontally to the end
or side Of the caboose to point
under the registering machine. To
this rod . cogwheel 10 attached,
working In another oogwheel
which turns . rod running prepen-
dicularly, and ending In still an.
other eoRwheel which turns q cy-
Under about four inches long and
one inch in diameter. The number
Of eogs in each wheel varies, so
that when the train has travelled q
mile the cylinder has rsvolved on.
" about one.quarter of an inch.
ah~lu~ ~ Ahospk ~
tive inches long and feur inches In
breadth passes over the cylinder
and hangs into . wooden box uu-
der the cylinder. This paper is call
cd the conductors service report.
Lsngthwise 1t 10 divided by dotted
lines into siGhty-eight parts. Each
Of these parts, which represents .
mile, 10 subdivided by green lines
into four parts, each subdivieo1
standing for . quarter of . mile.
Bred 1thwiss the strip is divided
into thirty parts by green lines.
Each Of these parts represents o
minute. By means Of clockwork q
pencil moves across the paper and
bAek again, taking thirty minutes
20 move across and thirty minutes
20 move back again. As soon Is the
Journal or axle turns, the cylinder
tuR1aet the rate Of quarter inch
fou ykch mile, SO that when a
mile 10 tMversed The pen.
oil has marked q line
over che space between the dotted
lines which represent mile In the
strip OF paper. As the clockwork
moves the pencil across the strip
the pencil has also passed over %
many minute divisions as It has
taken the car minutes to run .
mile. II the train stops the cylinder
steps. The line made by the pencil
In the direction Of the length Of the
paper 10 broken % long as the train
stops, and the time OF the iuterrup.
ton In travel 10 represented by the
number Of spaces the pencil moves
across the strip before it resum ca
the lengthwiss line.
In order to ascertain the point
whore any irregularlty occurred,
the stations on the road are print.
ed on or between the dotted lines
ct points corresponding to their
distances from Jersey City. Bergan
10 two miles aud . half from Jersey
City. Jersey City Is printed at the
beginning Of the strip, and Bergen
10 printed two and . half spaces
further on the length of the strip.
When the train stops the cylinder
stops, and the pencil line length.
wias broken between the printed
names Jersey City and Bergen.
The cylinder and clock21b rk are
enclosed in an iron box Which Is
looked. When train reaches its
destination the slip Is removed and
inspected.