The record-union., 1893-01-11
RAILROAD SIGNALS.
A Boys Talk With n Railroad Ma


A Boys Talk With Railroad Man.
ager.
'What is the danger signal?n asked
| Hal, who was beginning TO consider these
railroad signals almost as important and
well worth knowing as those in which he
drilled his football team.
'Red for danger, green for caution and
white for safety; flags by day and Ian
terms at night" replied the railroad uncle,
adding: Il am sure you must have no.
tlced men at road-crossings waving white
flags to show that the track was clear, as
your train rushed by?"
'Of course L have" answered Hal.
''Or the watchmen on sharp curves
and bridges, waving green flags, as much
as TO say: You may go ahead, but you
must do so with caution'?"
Il don't remember seeing them" said
Hal; "but Pll look out for the green flags
the very next time go in the cars
"A red flag or red light is impera-
tive" continued Mr. Holden, ''and means
sound the call for brakes and stop at
once There are other danger and eau
tionary signals l think you will be es-
pecially interested in" added his uncle;
'torpedoes and fusees, for instance. a
torpedo upon the rail is one of the most
used and most reliable of all the danger
signals"
But 1 shouldn't think it would be
loud enough" objected Hal. why
/ don't you use something louder-say,
! cannOn-crackerSY ~
"Oh, YOU are thinking of the little pa
! per-wrapped torpedoes such as children
/ play with; but they are not the kind L
mean. A railroad torpedo is round tin
| box, Just about the size OF silver dollar,
/ filled with percussion powder. Attached
TO il are little leaden strips that can be
bent under the edges OF the rail, SO. as to
/ hold : tornado fipt1lxr in 1NnGitInI
| top OF it. In this position, when loco
motive wheel strikes it with the force of
a sledge-hammer, IL eXplodes with re-
port fully as loud as q cannon-cracker,
that can be plainly heard above all other
sounds of the train. 1t is warning sut-
ficient to arouse the engineman and to
render him keenly alert.
"If a train meets with any accident or
obstruction that bids fair to cause delay
of more than few seconds, the engine
man sounds five short whistle blasts
| t. ---). On hearing this signal
| the rear breakman must Immediately
| run back quarter of mile or so, and
place torpedo on one of the rails that
his train has Just passed over. Then, 60
ing back about two hundred yards
farther, he places two more torpedOes, a
ail's-length apart. He then returns to
the first torpedo, and with his red flag in
hand stands there until the recall signal
| is sounded from his own train. on hear
ing this he picks up and takes with him
the single torpedo, but leaves the other
two where they are.
''These two torpedoes thus form a eau
tionary signal; and, translated by the
next following engineman, mean, The
train ahead of you has met with a delay.
Move cautiously, and keep a sharp look
OUT The single torpedo is an imperative
warning to apply the air-brakes, shut
Off and reverse v.in other words, stop
at once, for there is danger Immediately
ahead
''If a train is delayed at night, the rear
brakeman sometimes leaves another bit
of fireworks behind him when called in.
1t is 'fusee,' which is a paper cone con-
tanning enough red fire, inextinguish-
able by the wind or rain, to burn exactly
live minutes, which is tie shortest length
Of time allowed between two running
trains. The engineman of the following
train must stop when he comes to a fusee,
and not move ahead again until it is
burned out; though he can calculate from
its condition just about how far ahead the
next train iS.''-St. Nicholas.