El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-20
NEW SIGNALLING DEVICE
To Remind the Engineer Of Train
Orders.

"There will be no excuse for colli-
sions and wrecks as result OF engi-
neers forgetting orders. if this device
comes into general use and proves to
be what is claimed for it," said City
Ticket Agent Morrison of the Santa
Fe yesterday, at the same time calling
theattention OF HERALD reporter to q
new invention by Mr.. H.Stillwen OF
Topeka, high official of the Rock Is
land.
The invention is a device that can be
applied to an engine to automatically
remind the engineer of his orders.
s'A serious headend collision some
time ago between two passenger train S
on the Rock Island between Kansa 9
City and Topeka would have bee n
avoided had this device then been in
vogue" continued Mr.. MORRISON.
1.-THE railroads are very quick to take
hold of any new feature or appliance
ID at will provide more safety for the
travelling public and it may be that
Mr.. Still wells invention will come
into general use on all the roads. Ger
tain it is that something of the kind
has long been needed in train service !;
not that the brave and hardy fellows
that have hold of the throttle are I'M
reliable and ne9lectful, for they are
not. They could not hold their posi-
tions thirty days If they we're. We
have many engineers who have been
on the road many years who have new
er figured in the slightest accident of
any kind. But, in engine-running, in
cidents are liable to come up occasion
ally that for the time being will occu-
py the entire mind of the engineer.
Under such circumstances, orders are
sometimes forgotten, but 1 tell you,
such cases are few. The peril of rail-
way travel 10 becoming less every
year"
The printed description of Mr.. Still
Wells invention follows: 1t consists of
. device for signaling to an engineer in
his cab q warning of his approach to
station with reference to which he may
have speciaIorders requiring attent ton.
The device consists essentially OF an
order holder or clip in an electric cir
cult, in which is also included circuit
closer in connection with a striking
rod extending below the cab in posi-
tion to be struck by lifting block at
tached to the ties at any convenient
distance from the station. The ar
rangement is such that W hen the strik-
ing rod Is engaged by the lifting block
on approaching a station the circuit is
closed and q bell sounded. provided
the current is not already short
circuited by the contact of the two
points on the clip between Whlcn the
paper containing the order nominally
rests These points are kept apart by
the presence of the paper and only
come in contact when there is no order
on the clip. In this case the current is
shOrt-circuited, as before suggested,
and the bell does not ring. AS long,
however. rs the contact points of the
clip board are kept apart by the pres
ence OF order papers. the bell will ring
each time the striking rod comes in
con tact with a track block on approach
ing a station aud will continue to ring
until the circuit is broken by moving |
the proper lever-thus iusuring atteu |
lion on the part of the engineer to the |
conveyed by the bell. The |
clip board, circuit closer and battery |
sre placed out of the way upon the |
walls of the cab, and the whole ar |
is extremely simple.