New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-21
4 SCIENTIFIC mo UIRY.


question which daily enters the minds OF
great many people who travel on the elevated
roads of this city, and one which has been pro-
ductive of considerable controversy. is this: Can
the locomotives whistler It may perhaps be
an excellent time this morning to take up the
consideration of this matter and lrok at it from
all sides. 1t is not, probably. SO important as
the subject of General Harrisons Cabinet, or the
annexation of Canada. or even the Haytian COM
plication but the smaller matters must be gwen
attention as well as the larger sometimes.
The shrin whistle of the surface locomotive
is so we'll known that las we may say we need not
repcat it here. The railroad locomotive never
even temporarily loses the use of its whistle, nor
is it at all sparing OF its accomplishments In this
line II never enters a town without whistilng'
and seldom crosses country road before utter
ing this same note of warning. There is no
Northumberland instance on record OF surface
locomotive in active service unoble to whistle.
The accomplishment is universal, and apparently
inseparable from the species.
When the elevated locomotives were first intro
duced it was understood Of course that they
had a whistle like the larger members OF the
family, but gradually, from the fact that they
were seldom or never heard to use It, It's very
existence began to be called into question, until
today the great majority of people firmly believe
that il is utterly impossible for one Of them to
utter a loud sound beyond the subdued cough
which ii gives vent to starting heavy train.
S.:n respectable minority hold an opposite view.
That the elevated locomotive habitually
whistles. no one claims; all the whistle advo-
Gates hold is that it can whistle when greatly
excited as in the case Of an accident or when
properly trained. Apparently trustworthy per-
sons are produced who testify as to having been
present when specimens Of these locomotives have
whistled. After the accident TO Harlem train
near Ninth-ave. and Fifty-ninth-st., some two or
three months ago, persons were not wanting who
claimed that as the locomotive leaned heavily on
the railing it uttered sharp, shrill whistle
Others present at the time do not remember hav-
ing heard anything Of the kind. Still, IL must
be conceded that the evidence in favor OF the
whistle seems strong On the occasion Of other
accidents similar testimony has been freely pro-
duced 1t is also claimed that on occasions when
the guards have shut the gates in the faces Of
large crowd which subsequently clung to the
ratings and edges of the platform only to be
thrown off. so as TO cause the belief In the street
below that men were being shaken from an i'm
mense paper-box somewhere above, the loco
motives have been heard to utter a loud whistle
OF protest: but the evidence on this point seems
70 be cloudy That It was the loud shrek of
one of the component parts Of the shower OF
men seems more likely. That the evidence on
both s.des sadly needs collecting into compact
form is plain to all. and as we write this it gives
us pleasure to know that an eminent scientific
gentleman, living in Fifteenth-ave.. who has al
WAYS taken great interest in the matter, is busy
compiling this testimony.
The claim was advanced some time ago BY
wellknown resident of Avenue ID that he had
observed the elevated locomotives when wander
ing in their more congenial haunts in Battery
Park. and had heard them whistling at one
another, and appearing much more playful than
their somewhat formal demeanor further uptown
would cause one to suppose them. capable Of
As this Avenue D gentleman also claimed that on
this same occasion the red switch lights winfced
at him. while the green ones rcvolved like
Fourth Of July pin-wheel, 1t seems more than
probable that his was simply case Of the failure
of the blue laws instead Of great scientific dis
covery on an important question. His claim is
scarcely worthy of moments attention
That the elevated locomotive know
il in captivity can be taught to whistle, Is held
in many quarters The evidence produced seems
direct, but individual cases appear difficult to
produce That an engineer on the II ,rd-ave. line
has taught his locomotive to whistle every time
a lady is seen coming up the stairs with a dog
In a DaSKCt, is DelleNeu Dy Dus So ihi, "icy
have not been able to give his name or the
number of his locomotive. The idea is also wide
sprcad that a Sixth-ave. fireman has trained his
engine to whistle whenever he desires it to. but
nothing more definite in this case than in the
other is given.
To recapituate the matter would seem to stand
at the present writing much like this First that
it. is not natural for the ordinary domesticated
New-Yorl< elevated locomotive to whistle; second,
that it IS very probable that on occasions OF
great excitement, such as collision, 1t may
whistle: third. that it may possibly be taught to
whistle With the present light, this would seem
to be about all that be said on the subject,
and till the West Side gentleman referred to above
gives his researches to the world II seems hardly
probable that much more will be learned. Still,
vigorous discussion of the question can do no
harm, and may be productive of much good.
To some il nay not appear OF any great I'M
portance, but to us II would seem OF fully as
great consequence as some of those other we'll
known scientific enigmas so ably handled by many
of our contemporaries such as whether we should
sleep with our heads toward the north the
south. whether the last man earth Will freeze
to death or burn up. and whether we should or
should not eat sugar on our oatmeal We shall
continue 10 feel keen interest as TO whether
these hardy little locomotives which daily draw
us back and forth have or have not the power
of whistle