The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-10

originated by one man, which have
simplifed practical railroading i'm
nenseIy and are now in use wherever
the locomotive puffs its way over roads
of steel The telling is especially apro-
nos at this time, when the relations
between one of the greatest railroads
and one of the greatest telegraph sys-
tens are being dissolved.
The telegraph was impressed into
the service of the railroad soon after
the electric wire had been taught to
write, it being seen early that through
its aid the running of trains could be
managed with greater safety and GER
tainty than in any other way. 1t was
because of this that for many years
nearly every telegraph line in the land
was strung alongside some steam road
and the need of the wire on the part
of the railroad brought about the eX-
tension of the telegraph, over thou
sands of miles, years in advance Of
profitable commercial demands there
for {
This was of great advantage to the
country in many ways. But the telc-
aphic system thus created had one
serious defect. While a message could
be sent between two points on the same
line almost as expeditiously and cheap
ly as now, the message between GiS-
tant points generally had to pass over
as many separate systems of wire as
there were railroad lines between the
sending and receiving stations. This
involved relays, delays and cost that
would now be, and was then, consid-
cred excessive and exorbitant. In this
of affairs naturally brought about tel
egraphic consolidation, one of the
first, if not the very earliest, of the
great modern consolidate tons that have
made the United States the wonder and
envy of the nations of the earth. This
consolidation took the name of the
Western Union Telegraph Company
Western Unions Early Advantage.
1t is because the Western Union was
formed by the union of many small
lines, originally built chiefly for the
convenience of the railroads, that it's
offices and not those of the younger
Postal Telegraph Company are to be
found in ninety-nine of every hundred
railroad stations in this country. Nor
is it so very long ago that railroad
and telegraph men would have laugh
ed at hint of separation between
the Western Union and any of the
great railroads, least of all the Penn
sylvania. Yet for more than a month
now the Western Union folk, peremp-
torily ordered off, have been busily
vacating their offices and removing
their wires from along the Pennsyl-
Vana tracks. By the first of Decem-
Der the transfer must be complete and
this will mark as interesting a period
lin the history of the telegraph In
america as the period which was open
ed when the late John w. Mackay or
ganized the Postal Telegraph COM
pany.
Yet it does not follow, in the view
of we'll informed men that this is the
beginning of the end of the Western
Unions close relations with the rail
roads in general. The cause of the
break with the Pennsylvania was
brought about by the determination of
the Gould railroad interests to lay their
tracks into Pittsburg in spite of the
Pennsylvania objections. The West
ern Unions direct yearly loss of rev.
enue (gross) will be about $4,000
year, but the net will be much less
There is some expense and confusion
incident to changing the system in the
Pennsylvania big territory and some
hundreds of points will probably be
abandoned as not profitable without
the railroad business, but the chief
disadvantage will be mainly sentiment
tai and of course the Gould interests
discounted that before they decided to
lock horns with the Pennsylvania.
Early TeIegraphfc Train Orders.
The railroads began to use the tele-
graph in running trains early in the
sos, possibly in 40 or even '4S. But
the train order of the midcentury was
crude and often Ineffective. Repeat
eddy it brought about disaster instead
of insuring safety. 1t was so imper-
feet indeed that some railroads gave
up the use of the wire altogether after
a comparatively brief trial.
Thus, in 1858, S. W. Roberts, then
superintendent of the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago Railroad-now
part of the Pennsylvania system
threw out the telegraph as a help in
running trains on that road because OF
an accident due to a misunderstood
order that resulted in some loss of life
and the destruction of much railroad
property. The Roberts dictum con-
tinued in force till his retirement in
IS or SO. Its resembling led to one of
the most important forward steps ever
taken in the development of practical
raiiroading. This was the invention
and adoption on the Fort Wayne"
road of the Double Order" system,
now used on practically every steam
railroad in the world.
Double ORDERS" were devised by an
enthusiastic young railroad man
named James D. Lang, then
attached to the executive
staff of the Fort Wayne"
road in the capacity of division super
lntendent and now one of the most
prominent of the executive men in the
management of the West Shore and
other Vanderbilt lines. Though he
had never served as a telegrapher,
having entered railroad life as civil
engineer. he was quite familiar with
me electric wire. AS a schoolboy in
Flttsburg, and with his fathers hearty
approval, he had strung wires "all over
lAe house." had made and charged his
own batteries, and had mastered the
Ney, both as sender and receiver. He
oeNeVed thoroughly in the possibilities
VI the telegraph as a servant of the
idl and in the years the wire was Ia
oooed on the Fort Wayne" had care
my thought out the best way of real
ing these possibilities. The scheme is
simplicity itself.
Double Orders"
A large proportion of all train orders
III single track roads, such as the
.rort Wayne then was. involve two
I.a4As They may be moving u oppo-
cue directions and be scheduled to
-ree1 at a given station, or other point,
m"gIe there is a side track that will
'apIe them to pass. Train No ! has
~ ume and to hold train No. at
~ usual passing point till the arrival