The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-11-10
What an Engineer Hes to Rsm.mbe,

Officials who operate the last trains r.
renlly put on between New 1prk city ana
he Wr-t are i-t nOw facing a probie'o
n phillsOphy which, on paper, looks
,omething hse thi-:
How many iron.clad rules can the
human mind seep within instant rec til,
u dtath II thr p-nA.ti for forgetting
The answer j. supp red 10 lie some
Shrre in the code ( rules and tignal-
which the officials have devise for the
operation Of these fast traiue. Ihese
rues. Il which there are about 700 Tor
each 12j miles betw New YORK city
,ud Chicago. were made Tor the safeiy /
| The p6bhc. but the public may look ask
| Al c. when 10 lp8rns that one man must
| rrmember 700 Of them, and that slip
| "a auy one rnie may mean a shOckin4
loss OF human lie.
In,rr 100 iules are the average i'i
.Ach division Of the chi,i rsilrOad linz +
nuuiug wtst from Nrw York Each ri
:,yrrs the WORK II one engineer, ~ b,
rIves his train until ebOthrr engineer
Siih fresh st Oi rul's aud, presumably
fr-rh m-mury, relieves him. la Utntl
9urd-. eight men, the average bumbei
: i lpcJ antIve g piDerr- VINO drive lar
rain bptWetn New lIrk and Ch leagi
nu-t kery constantly ia miud nrHrli
j 900 dlllerenJ rule-, 10 order that pa
ruu- uf ,hese tr,tiur may travel wIthUu
, i.kiug th,ir 1--we Nhat this means l.
h- public IL twenty-iuur hunrs' ii c M
} ne ul thee trans can be Indgei by th
tili1 ,virE ii-t ui What Rn engineer on
.rrta,u one hundr, d-mile run has 4
watch. while h'- locomotive 10 going IA
1 txty mil 49, hour:
, Five hundred crOss.over" switch
tsht-. t. lrsrn whether they are rel ~
2 White Fifteen "mteflockiUg switch
ght-. TO learn whether they are rec
5 ynre or green. Seven "non-inlerl cL
ng" swiich-lights, To know whethr
pey are red or white Three "non-ibt-i
Drkins' switch lights. To kDow wheth
: hey are red or green SsmsphOre arm
= 4 twenty-five = aJ staliJnr, Tor pUsslb
ed lights Four HUNDRED hig b way eros
J nq.. 10 know neither they are clear
locomotives oi "a dozen trains apprUncl
I, Y ou psrailrl track, Tor red or gree
A., shts. Telegraph opr' stors at twent
i've way stations, who may be waitln
| upar tht tFhch WIN uibcir' IOi "
lag at any conceivable y int ia the Il
!, .tl,s. displayed ~ u danger sigus
,hether Que or two tor, edUes arr r
S ioded at any puint in the loo miles. si
nying caution" or "stvp" Whrth
y is clearance card il good for each
= went, five way stations Nhetb
- cDere i- enough coal IN the engine tend,
c hether the st-sm pressure IL bring ke
40. Whether drenaD il obey ing anOth
: nR set Of rules. Whether the eDgiT
eli rings at 400 highway crossinVs.
II By day the s~it-h and signal-liRhts a
rp,aceu by sikDsl boards aud blocks
he color or uir,ctlOn Uf which must
n -ead a. lit-rally ~ the lamps The enI
,eer who notes 500 uf these signs frC
e ii. cab.window. hud misses the ZOO
4 mas taken. in race track language, q z
Al 20 | shot with a train-losd Ui hum
6. lives.
- The public has good reason TO
whether the sairty limit has not bt
'o cached with both speed and rules. Ih'
st. must I've poiot where the locomotive
IN 20 large. aud its speed 30 great. that Q
10 ,uman mind cannot safely control IL,
oi matter hoW few the levers are. A Dot
oas.enQer-locOmuti going at seven
miles an hour, aud operated by one m
: INSIDE" it, il as much a psychology
~ freak as a 25O-pound human athel
gould be. n turned with the brain ol
Y. three ear-old boy.-Leop Edgar he
~ IN HsrpeF's Weekly