The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-24

consists essentially Of an order-holder
or clip In an electric circuit, in which
Is also included a circuit-closer In con-
nection with a striking rod extending
below the cab in a position to be struck
by lifting block attached to the ties
at any convenient distance from the
station
HOW ACCIDENTS OCCUR.
1t would seem. in view of all these
precautions, these myriads of inven-
tions for life protection. that serious
accidents would be next to impossible.
But they do occur, and how they occur
Is illustrated by the accident Of last
july 10. on the Southern Pacific. at
Newman, Cal. The road is one which
adopts extra precautions against acci-
dents. At Tracy. thirty-seven miles
north of the place of collision. four
trains received copies of the following
order.
Monday. July 10, 1S99-Ow. July 10.
1899; 2i1, 245. ex. 1925, Ac. o. *. D., o.
X. F. A. p, 1906 a. IN. Eng. 1725 and
Eng. lei will run extra Tracy to Men,
dota. viii pass No. 241, Eng. Ill., and
No. 2l5. Eng. 1903. when overtaken."
Train No. 245, a regular freight, was
due at Newman at 2.34 a. m, and ar
rived on time. On entering the station
1t was protected in the rear by sema-
phore signal displayed by a signal
man In a tower. The freight took
water and received no orders. Extra
1,72l. carrying teachers to the Los
Angeles convention, approached the
semaphore signal a little later at high
rate of speed. 1t whistled and then
slowed down to a speed of twenty or
twenty-five miles an hour. The signal
man in charge of the semaphore sig
nailed mo orders" and the special
dashed on, into the freight and was
wrecked. Two women were killed and
many injured.
Investigation showed that the sig
nal man should have displayed his red
light and stopped the special before it
reached the semaphore. His plea of
justification for not doing so is that
the special should have been under
control when 1t approached the sta
ton and prepared to meet the freight.
However this may be. the accident is
an illustration of where men fail, a
failure railway companies have been
trying to avoid ever since they were
first put into operation.
If the Southern Pacific had been
equipped with Il semaphore system, by
which the freight train in entering
the station had automatically set its
own danger signal, the special would
have stopped and the accident been
avoided
ETERNAL VIGILANCE.
But passing this by, the transcon-
| tinental train, which has been trying
all of these various safety guards be-
tween Buffalo and New York, ur
through the beautiful Scranton val
| ley and back of engines that give
| forth no smoke, has reached Buffalo
and is in the control now of the Lake
! Shore for the run to Chicago.
Aside from semaphores and sigma
| lights in switch yards, the Lake Shore
protects through the system of block
ing trains from station to station by
telegraph. This is also done by the
Milwaukee and st. Paul and most OF
the principal trunk lines.
| The transcontinental train in pass.
ing through Chicago passes over the
largest and greatest combination OF
switch tracks and main lines in the
United States. 1t also passes the mex
to the largest. If not the largest, in
terlocking switch lever house in thu
country. This is the one operated b,
compressed air at Twenty-seconC
street on the Western Indiana system
Semaphores protect all approaches t.
this house and its tracks, and com
pressed air eXerted by means of lever,
opens and closes the tracks.
When delivered to the Northwestern
the train is protected to Omaha b,
electric signals, tower houses and tn
| manual block, the automatic block
blocking by telegraph from station t,
station. 1t runs over double tracks t,
I Ames, and flies as If on a ball room
floor. Track walkers have inspecte,
the way and train dispatchers hav,
opened it. The transfer of the trail
to the Union Pacific brings it to tn
most tedious and beautiful portion o
the journey the long but thrillin.
climb over the mountains.
The protection given in the noun
tains is of that character that cover
|
distances often being a hundred mile
or more. The semaphore system Ii
the unsettled portions is useless, an,
the nerve and wit of the train dis
patcher and the telegraph operator
must serve in place of automatic ap
pliances.
The combination of both at certain
portions of the line brings the moder,
signal system to as near state o
perfection as it can be in this day an,
age. Both the Northwestern and tn
Burlington have made world record
on their tracks under such method
of blocking. The wonder is not tha
so many accidents have occurred bu
that so few happen. AS vetera,
railroader puts it: "The odds tha
any train will meet with even tn
slightest mishap in these days is 100
to 1, if it is operated on a first-clas
road"