The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-05-24
A Boys Talk With Railroad Mana.
ger.

ScTs
"What lis the danger signal ?" asked
Hal, who was beginning to consider
these railroad signals almost as impor.
tant and we'll worth knowing as those iii
which he drilled his foot ball team.
"Red for danger, green for caution,
and white for safety; aags by day and
lanterns at night" replied the railroad
uncle, adding, II am sure you must have
noticed men at road crossings waving
white flags to show that the track was
clear as your train rushed by 2"
"Of course have" answered Hal.
"'Cr the watchmen on the sharp curves
and bridges, waving green flags as much
as to say: 'You may 90 ahead, bat you
must do so with caution p"
81 dop't remember seeing them," re-
sponded Hal; "but I'll look out for the
green flags the very next time go in
the cars"
ga 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 cautionary signals think you will
be especially interested in," added his
uncle, 'torpedoss and fuses, for instance.
A torpedo upon the rail is one of the
most used and most reliable of all the
danger signals"
''But I shouldn't think 1t sodld be
loud enough" objected Hal. "Why
don't you use something louder-say,
cannon crackers ?" r..
"Oh, you are thinking Of the little
paper-wrapped torpedoes such as chill.
dren play with; but they are not the
kind I mean. A railroad torpedo is a
round tin box, just about the size of a
silver dollar, filled with percussion pow
der. Attached to- it are two little leaden
strips that can be bent Under the edges
of the rail, so as to hold the torpedo
firmly in position on top oft. In this
position, when locomotive wheel strikes
it with the force of sledge hammer it
explodes with report fully as loud as a
cannon cracker that can be plainly
heard above all other sounds of the train.
1t is warning sufficient to arouse the
engineman and to render him keenly
alert.
"1f 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
---.--). On hearing
this signal the rear brakeman must i'm
mediately run back quarter of a mile or
80 aud place torpedo on one of the
rails that his train has just passed over.
Then, going back about two hundred
yards farther, he places two more torpe.
does rails length apart. He then re-:
turns to his first torpedo, aud, with his
red flag in hand, stands there until the
recall signal is sounded from his own
train. On hearing this he picks up aud
takes with him the single torpedo, but
leaves the other two where they are.
"These two torpedoes thus form eau.
tionary signal; and, translated by the
next following sngineman, mean, The
train ahead of you has met with delay /;
move cautiously and keep sharp look.
out The single torpedo is an impera.
tive warning to apply the air brakes,
Shut off, and 'Reverae'-in other
words, Stop at once, for there Is danger
Immediately ahead
"ff a train is delayed at night, the
rear brakeman sometimes leaves another
bit Of fireworks behind him when called
in. 1t is 'fusse,' which is paper cone
containing enough red fire, inextin-
guishable by wind or rain, to burn ex.
actly Eve minutes, which is the shorlest
length Of time allowed between two run.
ming trains. The engineman of fol.
lowing train must stop when it comes 20
fussee, and not move ahead again until
it is burned out; though he can calcu.
late from its condition just about how far
ahead the next train is.-Kirk Munroe,
in st. Nicholas.