Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-15

A New Apparatus on the Westport
Bridge-Trains Must Stop for an Open
Drawbridge or Run Into a sand Bank.
A correspondent writing from West
port to the New Haven EreniDg RegiSteg
says: For the first time in thirty wears
trains to-day ran over a drawbridge in
Ihis state without coming to a stop before
1olng SO. 1t was the dreadful accident at
NofWalk, few miles below here in 1853.
mat led to the enactment of the law re-
curing trains TO make the drawbridge
stoppage under heavy penalty.
EOFty-seVen people persisted in
the Norwalk catastrophe, and
the public feeling, aroused by
the horror was such that the Legislature
fastened to pass a statute which would
| serve TO prevent repetition of such acct
dents in the future. This requirement
has always been more severely felt as an
| inconvenience by the Consolidated Road
than any other in the State. owing to the
! greater number of drawbridges on the
line and to the constant efforts of the
company to cut down the running time of
! their express trains. The officials wanted
| 10 do away with the delaV of the minutes
or so entailed by the stOppages of the five
drawbridges between New York and New
| Haven, but made no move in this direc-
tlOn until there was brought to
tnelr attention an apparatus which
! they believe will Obviate the
necessity Of these stOppages without les
SEEMING the danger to trains. The work of
| applying one of these devices to the draw
bridge OF this place was arranged to take
] place to-day, and this afternoon a party
Of railroad officials witnessed the first
| practical workings of the apparatus. The
consent of the commissioners was neces-
sary before making the experimental test.
ana II the results are as satisfactory to
them as they appeared to be they will
probably consent to a modification of the
present law in the case of all bridges pro-
Nlded with the safeguards attached to the
one here.
The apparatus is partly electrical. A
mile and half from the bridge, on either
side OF it, there are attached to the side
OF the rails little buttons, which each
tram operates in passing. When. these
buttons are pressed they set to ringing a
bell In each of the draw tenders shanties
ON the bridge, and thus give warning of
the approach of the train. Not only this.
but they clock the draw, so that it could
not be swung off if the operator tried A
strong current of electricity is thrown
upon the first of the levers which oper-
ate the draw and make it too hot for anv
one 10 handle until after the train has
passed.
From the shanties on the bridge run
network of wires, chains and rods. by
winch the signals are moved. The furthest
signal is 1900 feet from the draw. Near
the top OF pole, about the height of
telegraph pole, is a cross section painted
green. The wires connected with this.
and controlled by the lever in the hands
OF the man on the draw, turn this signal
SO that it stands out at right angles with
the pole when the draw is open. Eight
hundred feet from the draw is the switch
OF the siding, which terminates in bed of
sand. Before the draw is opened this
switch must be opened, so that if the first
signal is not properly displayed the second
one with the safety switch must turn the
tram out of the path of danger. The
ploWlng OF an engine through a bed of
sand or soft dirt might unpleasantly Jar
passengers, but would cause, til is claimed.
no serious results.
One drawback which the apparatus has.
although this does not affect its utility as
q measure OF safety to passengers, is the
longer time 1t will take to get the draw
opened. The operation is so hedged about
Win mechanical safeguards that to swing
the draw for the passage of vessel, will
take, it is estimated, nearly half an hour.
The YeXatiOn of spirit which this will
cause to impatient bOatmen can be mag
ined.
The builders of the device have put it
up ON speculation, and it will not be ac-
cepted by the company unless they are
satisfied of Its perfect safety. The cost of
the apparatus for each bridge is between
$4,000 and $1,000.