The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-09-29

put into operation new and complete
system Of electric automatic block
signalling. extending over the line of
the Reading terminal at Philadelphia
to and including Jenkintown. The
signals are operated entirely sutomati-
eally, the passage Of each train along
the rails aotuating the signals in the
rear, by means Of electric currents.
The road is divided into blocks or
spaces of varying lengths, each being
determined by the locality and the
number of trains 1t is desired to handle
At the end OF each block is a signal
pole with two indicators, one showing
red disc by day or redlight
by night, signifying danger; the lower
one a green disc by dsy or green light
by night. signifying caution. The
green signals operate simultaneously
In the direction that the train is NOV
Ing, and are intended to give the en-
gineer of an approaching train advance
information as to the condition of the
next block signal When the engineer
meets this signal, and it shows white.
he knows that the next block in ad.
vance is clear or that two blocks are
free, and he can proceed at full speed.
Ii signal shows green. he knows that
the block in advance is occupied, and
he must run prepared to stop before
reaching the red signal.
During the years that john Newell.
recently deceased, was president of the
Lake Shore road, it was we'll under
stood that it was difficult matter to
get pass over that line. So opposed
was the president to the whole pass
system that persons who were really
entitled to such favors often met with
q fiat refusal. He even carried the
matter so far as to decline to issue
passes to railway officials, which, un-
der the courtesies between railroad
officials, has been the custom, and
when he issued passes he limited
such transportation to certain trains,
30 restricting the pass that but few
railway officials have ridden on the fast
mail or the limited trains OF that road
He carried this limiting of passes even
to railway presidents. as is evidenced
In the following statement quoted by
the Indianapolis Journal. ION re-
cent New Years President Newell
made up his packet of exchange passes
and sent them out Across the end Of
the one he sent President Caldwell was
printed in red ink the words: Not
good on limited or fast trains' BY re-
turn mail came President Caldwell's
annual pass on the Nickle-plate to Presi.
dent Newell. Across its face in flarng
red ink and in the bold handwriting of
President Caldwell were written the
words: Not good on passenger trains "
Does electric roads seriously hurt
the steam roads2 The Reading road
has been going over its figures and
finds that the total passenger traffic
from Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Cir.
ardsville, Ashland and Mt. Carmel,
for 1891 amounted to STAG. 200.15. For
1892 SAG, 900, 93; for 1898. $167, 71S 90,
while up to September, 1894 the total
receipts were $l13, 2l7. On the Lehigh
Valley between the same points the
figures were more striking. In 1891
the passenger receipts were $166 920 SO;
in 1899 it was $l69, 700; in 1893 it fell to
1924 1873 10 aud in 1894 up to Sept /,
the receipts reached $110,0l5S1. The
difference in freight traffic between
the two roads is shown in the fact that
the receipts of the Reading from
Mahanoy City to Mt. Carmel wers
$293, 652. 25, against $110, 273 for the LIE
high Valley. The reports of the rail
road companies show that there are
surprises in the electric railway busi-
ness.
The interstate commerce commission
In Washington has just published a re-
turn showing the number of railway
men employed in the United States.
IL appears that there are no fewer than
1880 companies, working 176, ,4G1 miles
of railway, and employing S73,6O2 per.
sons in all grades. These railways
carried in 1893, 593, ,56O,G12 passengers
and Tao. 119, ,4S2 tons of freight. These
figures give an average Of 10 railway
journeys per annum for every unit OF
the entire population. The ap
pliances required to carry the
passengers and move the freight
included 34,7SS locomotives. 1884
passengers cars. and 1,047, 571
freight ears. The transportation
service alone employed about 400, 900
men, or more than are employed alto
gether by the railways Of Great Britain.
Every passenger engine drew in the
year. on the average, 66, 26S passengers,
and each freight engine 40 062 tons.
During the year 2727 employees were
killed and 31.729 injured. being an
average Of one killed to every three
hundred and twenty employed. This
death.rate from accident is extremely
high. The expense of working the
railways amounted to 1927, 921, 299. and
the capital invested is $1O,5O0, 600. 900
Upwards of half the railways are
owned by about forty companies q
An ingenious writer in the Roehes-
ter Post Express is convinced that the
trolley is what we all are coming to for
transportation both for ourselves and
goods. A summers experience in the
tunnel by which the New York Central
road enters New York, with an ocea.
slonal excursion through the tunnels Of
the Erie and the Delaware, Laeka-
wanna and Western railroads in Jer-
ley City, confirms the writer's opinion
that the trolley cannot come too soon
as the motive power for railways, in.
side city limits if not across
country. To sacrifice all its loco
motives would be serious loss to any
railroad, and it is possible that the
sacrifice ought not to be made just yet
hot, in fact, until the third rail has
proved its capabilities on the electric
road between Chicago and St. Louis
and placed all other railroads about as
far behind the times as the colonial
stage cos;h. But there is another use
for the trolley which does not seem to
have occurred to writers in technical
journals. The trolley railroad Is no
further in advance of the macadamized
turnpike than the latter is beyond the
bride path. 1t is not improbable
th'ok fha ~, hlio hi0h UNIV ~ tba f,,