The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-17
TO PREVENT WRECKS.
Electric Device Now Being Used by the
Central Railroad Of New Jersey.


Electric Device Now Being Used by the
Central Railroad of New Jersey.
Ever since the frightful wreck at At
lantic City the officials of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey have been ex-
perimenting with many devices by
which they hope to make a repetition
OF such an accident an impossibility.
The more recent accident at Skillman,
n. j., spurred them ON, and now they
think they have found what they have
been searching for. A big force of men,
under the direction of Superintendent
OF Signals Dawes, is at work along the
line replacing the old semaphores with
new ones operated by electricity and
placing attachments ON all the switch
es, so that il is impossible to leave them
open without giving warning of the
danger.
The new system which the road is
putting into use is the invention of Mr..
Dawes, and, according TO the officials of
the road, is not only cheaper, but much
more effective than any other device
known TO the railroad world 1t is so
simple, too, that Mr. Dawes wonders
how il is that no one thought of it long
ago. His idea is to make the rails of the
road announce for themselves when
anything is wrong with them or with
the switches with which they are con-
nected. To do this he has divided the
track into a series of blocks, as is done
in the ordinary "block" system. In the
open stretches of track in the country
these blocks are one mile long; near the
smaller towns the blocks are only three
quarters of mile i'll length, and near
the terminals of the line they are re-
duced to half mile.
AT the end of each block are placed
tall poles bearing semaphores, one of
which is designated for each track. To
the ordinary observer there is no differ
ence in the rails on one side Of block
from those on the other side. But close
inspection will show that bar of wood,
much like a fishplate, is attached to
each Of the rails. This bar is the insu-
lator, and by it the two rails of one
track in block are connected, while at
the same time they are separated from
those of the next block.
By this device each track in q block
is formed into complete circuit,
through which flows current of cleo
tricity. So long as the track is clear and
there is nothing in the rails the current
flows along uninterruptedly, and the
signals ON the semaphore pole show a
clear track for trains. But let train
! pass from one block to another and the
signals are changed. AS the wheels OF
the engine pass from one insulated part
of the track TO another they form a con
nection between the two which 'short
circuits the blocks, and the danger
signals are automatically displayed by
the semaphores guarding the block up
ON which the engine is entering.
At the same time, far back at the
commencement of the block which the
engine is leaving, the signals which hat
stood at danger are changed to ones o.
! warning. BY these an engineer is mott
! fed that while the block he is upon i!
clear the one in front of him is occu
pied He is at least one mile, and j
may be two miles, from the train in ad
vance and has plenty of time to guart
against accidents.