Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-05-09
AID FOR ENGINEERS
SAFETY TRAIN ORDER SIGNAL
THE LATEST.
TRAIN ORDERS FOLLOWED
Device Gives Mechanical Notification
to Engineer Under Desired circum-
stances and Automatically Stops
Train if Warning is Not Heeded--
A Valuable Invention.

| There is a small automatic device
being tested on several of the passen
| ger trains on the Milwaukee road Ie
tween Milwaukee and Chicago, which
according to experienced railroad
men. is "a little wonder" 1t is per
fectly round and not larger than an
! average sized hanging clock. its di
| ameter being 1912 inches, and it p rs
sesses the power, when in position
and set, to announce to an engineer
that he is approaching station for
which he has orders and should ST ~
If the engineer fails to heed the no:l-
| fication it will stop the train its2lf
| This device is known as the safety
train-order signal and it seems to re
all that its name implies or its invent
or claims for it. The usefulness Of
the little machine lies chiefly in the
fact that it is capable of absolutely
preventing the disregard of train or
ders, meeting points with other
thains, or any other orders issued TO
engineers or conductors requiring a
reduction of speed or full stop, be it
for railroad crossings, drawbridges,
bad places in the track or anything
else. To accomplish this, the ma
chine first gives a warning to the en-
gineer of the approach Of his train to
regular meeting points, or to points
named in his orders where other
trains are to be met or passed Then
it automatically applies the airbrakes
and stops the train itself, at safe dis
lance from the point designated in his
order or on timetable, in case the en-
gineer neglects to heed the warning
given by the patent signal. 1t also in
dicates distances travelled by train
and permits the engineer to tell exact
ly, in darkness, storm or fog, where he
is, when familiar landmarks cannot be
distinguished. Furthermore it auto
matically gives a signal or 'disorder
alarm in case the device itself should
get out of order without the knowl-
edge of the engineer, and when he
might be relying upon its watchful.
mechanical intelligence to run the
train for him. The device is con-
structed of metal, and is Placed in the
engine cab in plain view and within
easy reach of the engineer. In circu-
lar positions on the face of the signal
machine are two rows of figures, the
inner circle showing the mileage from
0 to 100 miles and the outer the same
except that it is graduated on a larger
scale. The length of a division or
&c +r, e,
effect on the working of the device is
concerned. If the engineer has an or
der to stop or slow down at a place,
say thirty-two miles from his starting
point, he simply sets the automatic
signal hand to 81, which gives the de-
sired distance of one mile to run after
the signal has announced the fact thai
the train is approaching the specified
point. This announcement is made by
a shrill whistle by the signal itself,
and unless the engineer responds to
this call at once and lets the little
machine know that he is Eat atten-
tion,'' it will continue to whistle until
he does notice the warning. If for
any reason he neglect the warning,
the device will bring the entire train
to a dead stop within several hundred
yards Of the station, crossing or par
ticular point for which it was set. It's
warning ceases as soon as the engi-
neer attends to his business by prepar-
ing for the stop just ahead.
Samuel P. Bush, superintendent of
motive power of the Chicago, Milwau-
kee and st. Paul railway system, Las
rendered his resignation in order TO
become connected with a manufact1r
ing company in Columbus, o. No sue
cessor to Mr.. Bush has yet been
named Orange, n. j., was the birth
place of Mr.. Bush and he is 3S yeas
old
PARTITION OF A CONTINENT.
European Nations Parceling Africa