The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-29


Sosgestione fer Batter Pree antfous by
misunderstanding Rewards.
Inc frequency Of train robberies has
turned good deal Of ingenuity TO devils
ing means Of protection against them, and
numerous suggestions have been made.
ne Following communication to the PosT-
isTxIIIsEscEs contains some ideas nich.
snhe not ali new, are worthy of consider
alton.
SEATTLE, Dec 25, 1893
10 THE EDITOR: Whilst the increasing
uomoer OF train robberies Is app siling,
ana both fear and indignation at such
uoan and murderous facts are aroused.
faixnt not our Indignation be equally we'll
nses oy what would seem the apathy of
faiIroad companies in taking steps TO de-
wise some effective means OF preventing
sucn hideous lawlessness and Of securing
greater protection to life and PROPERTY
post factum' offer Of q reward for
the capture OF the train hooters 10 in my
nina . very poor makeshift for protsc-
tion. What Il needed 10 an ANTE factum'
rosect,on-preventson being better than
cure 10 this strange lack of apparent ef-
Tort due 70 the fact that to do so would
entail expense on the railroad corpora
lions who In such cases are not the heavi-
est ioscrs3 This would be seifishness to
De branded by public opinion. Ii may be
SAID that railroad companies secure their
trans a. effectively rs can be done. out
SIDE or necidents impossible to foresee
Well. l am not OF this opinion. and the
thousands OF lives yearly lost fo- want of
protective measures IT stations, crossings.
and 30 forth. spoyes this.
But a. TO these measures, in so far as
they concern train fobberies. could there
not be devised some form Of steel arrnor
sufhcientiy thick 70 be impenetraoie to n
buiiet, with loopholes 10 in the olden
castles, that could in such attacks en-
shroud the drivers cab and shield him
room the looiers' murderous gun? Could
not steel plates he devised so a. bv means
OF springs to move or slide quickly and en-
case the cabf Three-fourths of this en-
casing should DC done before arriving at
the murderous water tanks and sldings
the ordinary spots selected by the rob
Der tor his nefafious work.
Gould such steel protective armof not
be also applied to express car doors and
windowsT We constantly hear Of the ex-
press car door being smashed to pieces by
the roooers ak Could not steel doors be
attached likewise 70 the passenger coaches
Could signals not be appointed whereby
passengers could be given warning of dan
ger in such attacksf Could not powerful
telescopes be placed in the hands Of drivers
by which, on seeing danger signals, they
could search the meaning of such signals,
nuu not DC, as uaS 30 often occurred. mood
winked by the false alarm of tho auda-
cious robbsr?
These suggestions may perhaps seem
imaginative. Maybe they are, but they
have &C least some merit and may perhaps
be the embryo of some more effective
means OF attaining the desired end,
namely. greater effort on the part Of rail-
road companies for the protection of life
and property over their respective lines.
At any rate. whereas most railroad COM
panies have TO lament train robberies. I.
though l trayei very extensively and
closely follow the papers. have never seen
nor read OF any plan systematically put
into execution by these corporations to
obyiate altogether il possible, bat at least
to q greater extent than has hitherto
taken place, the attacks of these bandits
on trains. Ii 10 always the usual 900 or
$500 reward after the accomplished fact
for the capturing of such miscreants. to
capture whom by sheriffs and posses many
precious life il lost and thousands of dol
lars spent. q. T."