The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1903-02-04
NEW DEVICES ON TRAINS
Safety Appliances Tested on
German Railways.

BY Means of an Electrical Apparatus
the Engineer Has Constantly Be-
fore HIS Eye an Automatic Signal
Which Instantly Warns Him of Any
Danger From Collision.
A full description Of the new safety
appliances for German railway trains
has been sent to the state department
at Washington by Frank Il. Mason
consul general at Berlin. Although IN
tended for use on steam railroads, the
devices are operated by electricity and
reouire a third rail in the track. Mr..
Mason's description of recent expert
ments is in part as follows:
Midway between the rails is laid a
light third rail of the ordinary pat
term the joints of which are so con-
nected as to form a continuous conduct
or. Midway under the forward part Of
the engine is hung the working instru-
ment, an electrical apparatus inclosed
in a square case or jacket occupying
cubic foot of space. The instrument is
connected with a contact shoe, which
slides along the third rail and by wires
with a telephone and electric alarm
bell in the cab of the engine driver ana
a red incandescent lamp which is light
ed by the same impulse that rouses the
alarm bell into action. A further I'M
provement of the device sets the cleo
trio brakes on the engine or entire tran
simultaneously with the alarm slgnaI
which sounds the bell and lights the
lamp. The apparatus is so adjusted
and arranged that the engineer can at
any moment by touching lever satisfy
himself that it is in full working cond1-
ton.
The tests on Nov. - were conducted
on the main line from Frankfurt to
Hanau, between the stations Sachsen-
hansen and Goldstein, and a transla-
ton of the official report will illustrate
concsely the working of the apparatus
Two locomotives, numbered respective
" 300 and 1920, had been equipped
with the new device, and the expert
ments proceeded as follows: Engine
290 drawing a special train and ap-
proaching Sachsenhausen at full speed,
received the danger signal and came to
a full stop. The driver of 290 then
asked by telephone the cause of the
signal and received from the keeper OF
a grade crossing half a mile in front
word that a wagon had broken down in
crossing the track and INSTRUCTED the
line. After ten minutes wait the en-
gineer of 300 received word by tele-
phone that the obstruction had been
cleared away and thereupon resumed
his trip.
A mile farther on the signal on 290
again sounded, and the driver was IN
formed by telephone, as before, that
the semaphore round curve and more
than half a mile distant was set at
halt" Thereupon engine 29O slowed
down and proceeded cautiously, sound
ing its whistle at short intervals, the
telephone bell in the drivers cab ring
ing continuously until the curve was
rounded, when the ringing ceased, mott
flying the engineer that the Semapnore
had changed to track clear" There
upon 300 resumed full speed.
In the tests to prevent collision en-
CINE APO came up rapidly from behind
and on the same track as 29O, which
had slowed down and was proceeding
cautiously in consequence of reported
danger in front. The moment that
1,420 came within 1000 meters Q,O9S
YARDS Of 300 the signal on both en-
gines began to ring and their red lights
to glow. Thereupon 1,420 halted, the
driver inquired of 300 in front the
cause of the alarm, and complete un-
Outstanding between the two trains
was Immediately established. An inn
portant point in this connection is that
in practice the same warning signal
is sounded upon every engine equipped
with the apparatus which is on the