The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-23

SONS genius upon tlc nge more laHn ol amy
other fact. When the great English inventor
received tlo frs, prize for locomotive over
the late Capt. John Ericsson, IBIS machine
u..d the holl where the latter dd tle whistle.
Ituever occurred to either stephenson or the
a6thouties in question that ere long trains
wouM speed SD fast as 20 render The bell in-
arlihle alta sufficient distance ahead to b9
u.ofil as warning. Itdld 90 Ericsson, vino
,ra. l.l.hod al for bis chimerical folly. Tho
BEN j. used within town and city nmiis' "l
road crossings and at station stops
the electrical bell. 600 the other hand, has
mot vet reached its fHll Development. il is O.
siuple affair, set anywhere near railroad
crossing and connected by wires with "a 'con-
tact point 0n tle rails milo away. Il train
coming over this point closes The circuit and
sets the heil jug.Ing, ringing or ioIiins' ae-
coring t0 its size, at Che distant crossing
plara Thodin continues until the train has
rono past. whom the current is broken and
The instrument becomes silent
The locomotive whistle is. according To the
STANDPOINT from which DO may be regarded,
the greatest curse or the greatest blessing OF
the railway. It's intensity and penetrative-
ness mako IT, the RELENTLESS foe of all pos
SCISSORS II weak nerves or sensitive ears ON
the other hand, it gives the locomotive a
voice and speech Of the most expire 'Fe sort.
Upon many Of the American railroads ono
srston of wli,tling is followed. Two kinds
of blasts arc recogniael-the short and the
lone. These are combined arbitrarily, very
much like The dots and dashes n tlo Morse
tal.rrapnic alphabet. each combination rep
resautmg command or notice. Ile foi-
lowing is the list Of combinations, indicat-
ing long blast and short ones
Brakes down, stop S.; release brakes, START
S.. back. $685.; call for swlcllnan, station
nrort brakeman or y1rdmau. s.sfsi inel,
assss; approaching stations J. this more tlan
long. usually lasting five seconds; railroad c'o.
mr. J.: viii take side iracs, or viii switch. ILLS
cattle OBJ horses ON track. HILL; highway cro
inc. lls.s. ors.sLL, train has parted. is' p.-lef
vaduct. tunnel or deep cut warming ssLi ilo
alarm. lssss
Tie mechanical power Of these locomotive
UhA.s is Qmet8ing reg airs24.'i...tiIais illi
The atmosphere as well as by the topographic
cal irreruar'ty Of the landscape. they have
been heard and understood five miles away.
ln the clear dry mir of the far west this
range is vastly increased, several wen anthem
ticatel instances going as high as twenty
miles.
Besides This every whistle has an individual
character Veteran engineers win recognize
o locomotive by ifs whistle without seeing it
atall. On Che other hand il is possible 20 so
change the amount of sound emitted from inc
slant 90 instant as 90 make a series oi easily
distinguished sound waves. Chief Arthur, of
the brotherhood of Engineers. said upon this
point: "Ilero reengineers SD wedlci f0 their
engines that thcy become insepaule. He
talks to the mechanism and make, tle latter
talk DOB tum Some who AFRO very quick of
car and touch in TINS respect have frequently
astnished myself and other road veterans by
conveying ideas 90 aud from each other by
their Whistles
The railway torpedo IS bat in its infancy.
10 consists Of O small, powerful and water
proof torpedo, which ls laid ON the track
ahead of O. train. The impact of tho wheel
fires the eliminating powder it contains and
produces not only @ loud explosion but also q
heavy Jar of the locomotive and engineer
which cannot be overlooked. THE device
was brought into use i'm the latter part of the
civil war aud has been more or less employed
ever SINCE ltisnot very much liked by en-
1nefr. they believing that 30 injuries the
iai.s and Is more than detrimental to the
wheels and machinery of the iron Horse
When tits regularly employed. one torpedo .
means Daueer-siop immelateivi' and $40 .
-. ''...' '.''' '''.'''' ~ ''''''-
torrelo for u.s in ,sar. the i,,or.,'.'... .....-
rlormant off brilliant eoi,rs f.,. ......,...,.
leaicninr the ewes of engineers tofh. b.. /
coreeou. FLAGS of paacafll fira.
A hand na.. or white lann .r.,,.. ,ar,.,
ihe track is The SIGNAL 10 sto.. ,...i and f.
lowered vertically. fo go al..i. s.,,,.., i., n +
vertical circle when fho f-ain ia ...,,.i.,.,
still. to "bac. born and s.,nn.- FL, d, verified
circle at fan arms len.,b ,,.', tl,a t.oin il. +
moving. tHat tho train bal. ,.r.sl
Almost every road Inns l.s...io. fh... ...,..,,i
rules certain sneeisl one. annronr.at.. II, ti.ai.
own needs. On sucl - a....i. md ,,,,s.
rpis track roads MS me penn.,l,.nia and
Now York Central there have b.,.n in+ro-
duced SD many innroven,o,.t. and i..i...r .,,..
ing appliances tlat little or nothing BIZ. l.ft q,
Doc done in the way of signaling. On tbe
other hand. Che acknowledgements. like the View
Aorl, and Ontario and Delaware and Ulster.
entail SD much work upon engineer. fireman.
conductor and brakeman alike that COM
alcaied code Of signals is in each case the re.
,uit
The largest amount Of railway signaling +,
lone hy appealing 10 the eve rather than to
Ae ear. and includes the use of e.iorel nacs.
lanterns ,,,,.t.,..-.i i....... .,
i-hfs Tl. c.iors mos. b., 60.
,nd white ta. Grsf i..i..,.,..., 49,, ,''' .,'
ocona csutio ami .,,. ,i,irl .5e.,.
limos I'd. e... -. -,
...,,, NM ami t.'.',l,i~t ..,fi ,,.,.r ..t-
,un or Goo ahead % s,,oat,.o.s ,,ti., l..
he oxceoiion.l ne,nin., IN ..I,,t,, '''''
when h.g. is psei onici,il,, h. H. ,..,.,..,,....
- + i''-' t'e''r