The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-28
If HE DROPPED DEAD.
WHAT WOULD RESULT IF THIS HAP
PENED TO THE SlGNALMAN.

PENEO TO THE SlGNALMAN.
This Query Draws Out an interesting De
.cription of the Workings OF the Auto
matte Signais-How They Are Operated
In the Harlem Road Tunnel.
Two commuters occupied seat in one
al the suburban trains Of the Harlem road,
which was speeding through the Park ave.
rue tunnel They were discussing block
signals and the possibilities Of accidents
in the tunnel, which are interesting topics
TO commuters always.
WELL now, suppose an operator in one
Of these block signal stations in this tun-
mel after having set the white signal should
drop dead. would not the consequences be
simply awful'"
They would indeed" answered the
other.
Both men shuddered and became silent.
They were wondering doubtless whether,
after all, it was worth while to take their
lives in their hands every day for the sake
Of elbow room in the country.
What would happen, was asked of j.
II. Frank lin, general manager of the Har-
lem road, IF IA block signal operator should
drop dead!'
Nothing at ALL" he replied. laughing
except that the poor operators place would
have to he filed. Why9 Because the sig
nal would return automatically to danger
The train that next reached the block would
stop, and the engineer would take steps to
find out why he was not allowed to proceed
The flagman on duty at the signal station
there is one at each of the stations in the
tunnel-would unquestionably by the time
A.. 4 L I g.l.
sired information
THE block system in the tunnel" went
ON Mr.. Franklin, lis the best in thesworld
We are now averaging about 40 trains
day through the tunnel-that is, of course
both ways. OF these 800 are passenger
trains, and the others shop trains and en-.
gines-everything that takes up space in a
block being called a train"
What number of passengers does that
involveYn
Mr.. Franklin figured for moment and
then answered. Il should say a low esti-
mate would be 10000. If you were to seek
a ratio of the persons killed to those car
ried in the history of the tunnel you would
find it almost nil. There have been but
two serious accidents in the tunnel The
first was before it had any block system,
and the second was prior to the adoption of
the automatic arrangement by which the
signals, in case of any failure by the oper-
ators will always secure safety"
The tunnel is two miles in length and
has four tracks The two in the center are
for fast through trains, and those on the
sides for the rapid transit trains to Mott
Haven. Incoming trains run on the two
eastern tracks and outgoing trains on those
to the west. Block stations for north and
5iraptlr 10
each other in the tunnel. Each station has
an operator and tlagman. There are three
forces mt each station, one working from Z
a. H. to D. m, one from to II D. m, and
one from II p. m to Il. m.
The automatic arrangement for the re-
turn of the red or danger signal after the
white signal has been shown is the result
of the replacing of short releasing currents
with rail circuits extending from tower to
tower, thus providing against the POSSIBLE
ity of operators clearing" signals at the
entrance to any block when any portion of
the preceding train remains in the block,
although the forward part of the latter
train has passed out and performed its part
in unlocking" at the advance tower.
This change, it has been said, was seen to
be desirable in the tunnel on account of the
difficulty at times of operators seeing the
tall lights or markers of passing trains and
of knowing that all the train had been
cleared.
In the present improved state of block
signaling in the tunnel an operator cannot
clear the signals governing any block when
car, a single pair of wheels or any me-
tallic obstruction reaching from rail to rail
is in the block. The operator is, in fact,
prevented from clearing signals in any but
the appointed way. The whole block and
shifting and signaling apparatuses are so
arranged that should there be any failure
in or fracture of either the electric or me-
chanical parts the signals would at once
assume and maintain the danger position.
The chance that both the all clear and
caution signals would fail at once is very
small. but if they should the signal oper-
ators, being familiar with the Morse alpha
bet for telegraphing and having wires at
their command ordinarily used for announc-
ing from comparatively distant points the
approach of trains, recourse could be had
TO regular telegraphc communication, and
trains moved past the signals set at danger
by special orders
The tunnel, in addition TO its main sys-
TEN for block signaling, is provided with a
secondary system, not necessary III the or
binary conditions under which trains are
run. But the tunnel conditions tend to
produce somewhat frequent failures in the
proper working of all mechanical and cleo
trical appliances, and the great traffic for
bids any delay that ingenuity can circum-
vent. The object in providing the second
AIRY locks and circuits is to prevent appre-
ciable delay to trains should the regular
system fail in displaying clear signals in
unoccupied blocks.-New York World.
Business Got Brisk.