The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-09-20
TAYLoR's TooroMETER.
A Novel Invention Which Registers tne
whistles Of Locomotives.


Whistles Of Locomotives.
Frank B. Taylor, of Bridgeport,
Conn, the inventor OF the 5000
phone" for transmitting messages or
holding conversations with engineers
while under full speed on their locomo-
tives, has just patented deSsee which
he calls tootometer. In reality, 1t ls
a species OF phonograph. Mr.. Taylor
was led to believe that some mechan-
ical device could be employed to settle
the oft-disputed question in regard to
whistling at grade crossings. There
are a large number of grade crossings
in this State upon which annually
many lives are lost. The relatives OF
those killed almost invariably claim
that the locomotive whistle was mol
sounded in time to warn the victims.
. The railroad companies, TO protect
themselves against damages, dispute
the point so often taken. Mr.. Taylor
now comes to the front with a tell-tale
whistIing register, which takes the
sound from the whistle every time it is
blown and records it.
In order to explain its workings.
the run of any engine on the New
York & Now Haven road may be used
for illustration. Say engine No, III
draws the seven o'clock morning train
from New Haven to New York. The
engine is backed up in front Of the de-
pot and attached to the train, he
engineer George COrbett, steps into
the dlspatchers' office to get the time
or set his watch exactly with the
standard time The dispatcher hands
the engineer a "tOOtOmeter, when IS
already set for Engineer Corbett's ; run.
1t i NUN bercd to correspond with the
engines number and is dated and Of
ticiaIly locked, 50 that it is impossible
for amy one 10 alter its register OF the
whistle soundings. The "tootometer'
j. placed in a pocket bracket on the
froat Of the cab, just beneath the
whistle. Inside the "tootometer Is
long roll OF tin foil. upon which are
stamped cross-lines representing every
grade crossing on the road. The roll
is unwound from one axle to another
by means Of small clock attachment,
50 that each line representing q cross
ing will be brought to the "sOunder
opening precisely at the same mo-
mrut that the locomotive speeds over
the embarrassing. At the proper
distance before reaching the grade
crossing the engineer blows the stan
darl signal, two long and two short
t-~o--ot too, too.
Tile sounds are registered by the
"to0tumeter." Should the engineer
fail to sound his whistle the ''tooto-
meter" would show an empty blank.
And ST the run is made to New \ Iork,
the "tootometer,' rolling off its strip
Of tMf7.l in time and unison with the
movement Of the engine. All trains
are rlu on exact time on this road, so
there is very little chance of the
"1outometcr' disagreeing with the
time g,2IQc crossing are reached, II
extra whiSt,ing Is done to drive cows
on IN" track or blown Tor other pur-
poses tAan grade crossings the sounds
1r" a! registered and an exact record
taken OF all the whistles blasts, and
n" exact location OF the engine on
I'll" rails at the time OF the blasts is de-
noted from one end OF the road to the
other. AT the conclusion OF the trip
the "tc",ometer' is landed by the
engineer TO the proper official, who