The Topeka state journal., 1898-12-16
RAILROAD NEWS.
The Watch Inspection System
of the Santa Fe
Is Being Placed Under the Most
Rigid Rules.
ALL OF THE WATCHES
Of Employees Must Be Frequent
Iy Examined.
Inspector Montgomery Out Ap-
pointing Local Inspectors.

General Watch Inspector H. s. Mont
gomery of the Santa Fe has gone to Los
Angeles and will appoint local inspec-
tors along the line of the Santa Fe from
Albuquerque to the coast.
Mr.. Montgomery is now general in
spector of the Santa Fe from Chicago
to Los Angeles and from Superior to
Galveston, covering more territory than
any other watch and clock inspector in
the United States. No other road can
boast of the thOroughness of the watch
inspecting department as can the Santa
Fe.
Not a watch is carried by any en-
ploye having anything to do with the
running of trains that has not first
passed an inspection so thorough that
variation in time by a watch going
through such an inspection can not be
over seconds in "a hours, thus reduc-
ing the liability to accidents from wrong
time to a minimum.
The cause that led up to such a thor
Ough system of watch inspecting is
said to be a wreck that occurred on
the New Mexico division, caused by the
variation of time in the watches of the
oInerent train crews The blame was
attached to the incorrectness of the
watches and to guard against such Oc-
currences in the future, the inspecting
system was inaugurated-
The system has grown until Mr..
Montgomery has complete charge of the
rating of every railroad mans watch
on the line. The time all along the line
is corrected every day.
Time signals are sent daily at 10 a. m,
central time, from the Master Clock
OF the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany, st. Louis, who compare time daily
with the Washington, D. c., U. s. Naval
Observatory to all telegraph stations
on this road These signals are auto
matte clOck-beaters, repeated over the
wires by the Master Clock. The fol-
lowing programme is observed;
9;0l;oO g. m; the Master Clock viii be-
gin sending the word Time" and con-
9:57:50 a m, when the circuit is opened
$500 a. m. when the Master Clock will
begin sending double dots every second,
$3.50 a, m, When the circuit opens
9:59:00 a. m, When the Master Clock be-
gins sending single dots every second,
s:5s:5o a. M. When the circuit opens
100000 a. m. When the Master Clock
closes the circuit one dot, and then opens
the circuit again, when all repeater
switches should be thrown back to origi-
STANDARD clocks are stationed as follows:
Chicago diVisiOn-CorWith, ChilhcOthe,
Fort Madison shops, Marceline, Argentine
and St. Joseph
Eastern diyision-.Topeka, Argentine, St.
Joseph and EmpOria-
Middle ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Newton. Hutch
Pueblo and Denver.
and Albuquerque
Rio Grande Acknowledgements, San
Marcial, Rncon, Deming and El Paso.
Southern Kansas division-Ottawa, Cha
mute and CherryVale
once month each watch must be in
spected and the owner must obtain a card
from the inspector showing that the watch
is up to the requirements.
These rules have been gradually extend
ed all over the line. At Las Vegas, be-
ginning January l, employees will be sup
piled by local inspectors with cards for
inspection Inspectors will insert name
OF owner of the watch, name and number
of movement, and the card must be mail
ed or handed to the trainmaster the first
day of each month, and a new card OBJ
tanned.
San TosCIIj1 Xa1Iex7 80 49, 81 lC7 "a
to San Francisco will mean that the in
specting system will be extended to San
Francisco in the near future.
Many eastern roads are, patterning after
the system inaugurated by the Santa Fe
and representatives of different roads
have been sent to Topeka to investigate
the system in operation with a view of
adopting similar one