The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-03-08
A RAILWAY WHISTLE.
Its Significance TO the Vigilant
Signalman.
His Responsiblo PositLon-Raies and Sig
mails In Vogue on English Railways
Similar to Those In Daily Use
In This Country,

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knows nothing of It's greatest men; it
IS very certain that tho world does not
know much. II any thing, of some of
it's most faithful servants, or in the
least realize what It owes TO theTn.
How few whom they hear d railway
whistle regard Il as any thing but a
noisy and unnecessary Interruption.
Very few, Indeed, are they who know
that to the ears Of some 1t speaks In
very definite language, on which they
must act with the utmost decision and
dispatch In certain parts OF the
metropolis whore there are railway
lines there are recurrent outbreaks of
complaint about the railway whistles.
and the tono Of moss OF the angry let
ters sent TO the newspapers when the
fit lie on has Invariably been such as TO
encourage tho idea that the railway
drivers were a kind of incarnate hsnds,
who delighted to make night rs well
Us day hideous by the use of their
shril whistles, ana 20 torture the ears
of the wakeful- Unfortunate the light
sleepers may have heen, placed in
such perilous and trying proximity to
e. railway; but certainly the railway
drivers could not do other than they
did, for thoy are bound by tho very
etrictest rules, and must not touch she
whistle save whom duty calls.
A railway whistle is definite sig
hal which, amongst other things,
brings the driver OF tho train directly
ca rapport with the signalman in his
box. There he stands; you may often
catch q glimpse of him when travel-
ing as the train slows into the ter
minus or junction. He is surround
ed by rows OF bristling stool handles,
all Of an exact height These arc tho
shafts that work the points. They
Grs all carefully numbered Besides
those there are in the box clocks of
peculiar construction, right In front of
the row of shafts; telegraphio dials
and bells, as well as telegraphic dis
patching desks; books OF record,
which are most iealously kept and
studied.
II we take our start from the rail-
way whistles, we can work round the
main circle Of a signalman's duty
Strictly speaking. howover, we should
say that tho word whistle Is q
misnomer in tho sense we have used
ii in the heading. but there IS no
other word that could be popularly
used for our purpose. There are
whistles and whistles-the long and
the short whistle, for example, care
fully distinguished, and there Is tho
ccck-crow. By the combination OF
those, or the repetition OF them, you
have complete code OF signals for
all stations for up and down trains,
eesh having its own proper distinctive
whistle, unmistaksIble 10 tho signal
man, wore it possible that he could
for the moment be absent or obliv-
ious' 70
Thore arc. of course, emergencies
whom ongino-drivers may DO forced to
use the whistle-such as a person on
tao line, or other risk of danger"
and then a margin must be allowed TO
the discretion of the driver; but the
rules are imperative that the driver
ia not TO whistle moro than is sbso-
lutely necessary, and for a very good
reason, the moro he whistles the more
he may confuse. This is a common
form of direction IN working timc-
tables:
The sfgnalman at so-and-so, guided
by the time-t table. by indicators on
engines, and verbally by tho station
officials, being in possession of infor-
nation as 10 tho trains for which
points nre TO be first in position and
signals cleared, drivers are not to
sound tho enGine-whistle more than
absolutely necessary, such as a short
whistle before putshg on steam when
tho starting signal is given, whistle
to warn any one who may be on the
line or when instructed by any of tho
station officials TO give any particular
whistle as n signal TO the signalman
or otherwise; and it must be distinctly
understood that no such thing rs long
and repeated whistling for signals 10
be taken of, or from any other motive,
except in some extreme emergency,
can be allowed at so-aud-so.
In the daylight. therefore. the
railway whistle has its own
significance whenever heard. aud is
never a sound at random, but IN the
darkness OF night or in the fog, when
other signals can not be seen, it soon
becomes evident of what use and i'm
Portance IT is 1t IS then one of the
most available links between drivers
and signalnen. In fact. railway traf-
nc, as now conducted, would not bc at
all possible without il. aad the codes