Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-01-31
a WELLINGTON ISrssrIoy.


An Electric Afr signal for rraii.
| roads-Tested ON the w. < N.
Albert o. Griggs OF the MCCULLOUGH
Iron Company, and treasurer of the
Combs Goal and Lumber COMPANY OF
this city, has invented m electric air
sisnai which promises TO supersede pres.
emit methods OF signaling the engineers
OF trains while In motion. While other
inventors have been busily engaged in
racking their brains In their efforts to ob-
tain greater results from the wonaerfnI
and still unknown electrical fluid. Mr..
G1ggs has evolved novel little inyen.
ton whohe valuo ia best appreciated bv
ttain hands. He says that the iden struce
MIN about three years ago while return.
ing from Philadelphia Que night. He
thought that the rubber air tubes used in
the Westinghouse train signal could bo
improved upon by employing electricity.
He had q little theoretical KNOWLEDGE AZ
ms subject, but all that he knew practi-
eaiiy he had obtained by tinkering with
electric bells and other similar appliances
~ as nome He Immediately went to
Work TO develop his idea and devoted
most OF his leisure time to it. BE over
came every difficulty point by point, and
now that he has finished II and tried the
signal enthusiastically, his invention seams
to be perfect for all practicable purposes
and suggests no point for Improvement.
The Westinghouse system OF air signals
used on the Pennsylvania railroad is
probably the best signal that had been
invented mp to the present time, but or.
perience has proved il to be unreliable
and often unsatisfactory. In passing
over rough road.bed, or experiencing
any sudden jar, II will whistle Of its own
accord and au engineer must use his own
Judgment frequently to decide whether
he has been signaled or not. The Balti.
more Ohio aud Lehigh Valley railroads
tried 1t and found it unsatisfactory for
this reason. All of the big eastern rail.
roads, with the exception of the Penn.
sylvania, still use the sntiquated bell and
cord, which ia unsatisfactory for MANY
reasons. In train OF only two cars the
ordinary amount Of slapk rope that must
be drawn IN before the bell will respond.
Is SIX inches or more and in a long train
or eight, 10 or 10 cars, Il often takes sew
erai moments OF valuable time TO signal
the engineer with the bell-oord. II some
times happens in long train that the
physical exettion required In pulling the
cord to RiRnal ia too much for the CON
daotof. Often the bell-cord is caught
between some baggage or by some other |
obstruction aud as the cord seems to be |
at It's proper tension, the conductor does |
not discover the error until the engineer |
fails to respond to a signal. Or when a |
train ia backing and the engineer cannot |
see the track ahead Of him, sure and |
quiek signal becomes doubly valuable.
In MIR. Griggs' invention to signal the
engineer requires only az much time as is
consumed in pulling small rope which
closes an electric circuit and the response
"a the engineers cab is instantaneous.
dla. invention is an open electric circuit
IN which each car ia fully equipped within
It's own length TO close this circuit linda.
pendent OF any Of the other cars and
whether the train consist only Of two cars
Dr. be a mile long, the response OF the
signal is quick and sure in either case. A
'+assner battery placed in a little boz
1nder the engineers seat supplies the
slectricity. This battery IL neither
Affected by intense heat nor cold. When
the circuit is closed at any point OF car,
current Of electricity is passed around
magnet thereby drawing up the armature
Which is attached to the stem OF a rotary
valve, This valve is opened and allows
ne air to rush in which ia conveyed frnn,
the .--4-4oaNa ar ,st's-1 ner su possra