The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-14
THE STEAMBOAT WHISTLE.
Deep-Throated FOghOrn Taking the
Place of the ShriII Screecher.

Place OF the Shrill Screecher.
From the New York Mail and Express.
What the marine reporter might cali the
foghorn, or steamship siren, has become so
popular with many railroads for use on
their locomotives that an expert in steam
whistles says the shrHl cry of the iron
horse will be a thing of the past within
five years. The majority of the steam en-
gines of this country have the regulation
high-noted whistle that comes out sharp
and quick from the hills, the forests. on
the plains, or wherever steel rails are laid.
Il is not quite as trying on the nerves az
the celebrated penny whistles of the
locomotives of England but it lacks the
deep, musical toot of the gong which many
of the iron horses now carry.
The New England Railroad was about
the first road to introduce the mellow
sounding steamboat whistle in the East.
When MIR. George Gould heard it for the
first time on a locomotive of the New York
and Putnam road, he was so charmed
with it that he Immediately changed many
of the whistles on the engines of the Mis-
souri, Pacific.
The steamboat whistle is a great deal
more expensive than the regulation one,
ties of the latter, though it has many
more redeeming features
Talking of whistles" said ane old rail
road man to a Mail and Express reporter
81 think the unfortunate steamboat Gold
en- Rule, that was so well known between
Cincinnati and New Orleans had the star
one There was no installing that wins
tie The Golden Rule was burned. and,
after the fire spent its fury, 100 pirates
set to work to find her whistle. 1t was
discovered buried deep among the debris,
and then the pirates had a bloody fight
for it's possession. Two hardened wretches
lasted longer than the others, and secur-
ed the prize. They sold it for Old brass
and threw in their good will in the bar
gain. That whistle has had more lives
than cat going from this boat to that
boat and not long since, after years OF
travel il was purchased by Capt. James
H. Williams and placed on the tug Her
cules Carrel of Cincinnati 1t is every bit
as musical now as ii was twenty-five years
ago.
II know many railroad men who dlstin-
guish trains solely by their whistles, al
though the whistles of all locomotives on
any particular road are supposed to he
alike in construction as well as sound. II
is a common thing 10 have a man say,
That is No. III or There goes 44l,' when
he hears the loot of a locomotive. 1t Is
Of mine. a sea captain, says that he has
often established the Identity of a ship by
her whistle when she passed him in a
fog. or even when IL was his watch be-
low and he couldn't see the craft as she
went by.
Right in this harbor, and don't follow
II closely. either, ! can close my eyes and
tell the names of dozens Of boats as they
go along. All through their whistles, too
am sorry that the calliope mos gone from
the water, The Gen Slocum. with her
chime whistles, used to bring back 10 me
the remembrance Of the palmy days of
the Gen Sedgwick and the Plymouth
Rock
Whistles? why, they are the voices OF
the Story of Steam, and speak as plainly
as you and ! do. ! don't think that two
men were created with the same voice,
and as for whistles. there never were two
alike in sound If you doubt IT make a
study of the subject as ] have done"