The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1904-08-04
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They Lock simple bvs Il Requires
Practice 70 Master Them.

backward. A waye runa down the
train, as the couplings crunch on one
another. The cars are quickly gathering
momentum, when suddenly the man on
the ground throws beth arms back
and forward II q horizontal circle
level with his chest, as II he were
swimming. simultaneously, the man
in the cab reverses the lever. Another
shiver runs down the train. There Is q
hiss Of escaping air from the eylin-
ders. The brakes grind hard on tho
wheels. The train stops.
The average American traveller or
the average New York commuter might
say at first that this was an every day.
commonplace event, to which only a
child from the country would pay any
attention. But let some railroad man
ssk aim to explain how the man in the
cab and the man on the ground under
stand each other so perfectly, and "Nr.
Blase' would be forced to admit his ig-
norance.
And, though these signals seem sim
pie. the amateur soon finds how difh-
cult Il IS to initiate them. There is an
easy swing OF the arm which n
ly with practice. Only the other day a
gang OF highway men undertook 70
hold up a train between Worcester
and Providence. Il had just begun TO.
grow dark when the engineer saw n
OF the signal lamps suddenly change
from green TO red. lie instantly closed
the throttle and set the air brakes. AS
the train came c%runehing down to a
s-tandstin, he also saw a red lantcra
swing across the track, but not with
the easy grace Of the brakeman's arm,
Suspecting foul play, and taking the.
risk Of plunGing into unknown peril.
the man in the c alb opened the trotttle
and flashed by the danger signal at full
speed. AS he passed he saw a gang Of
men close to the track. Two OF them
were tampering with the semaphdre
In learning the brakeman's art. a be-
ginner fnss himself in collision with q
strange language. which must first DO
mastered. The words are English. but
their relation n with another is dis
tinctly foreign to a novice. should u
encounter a courteous brakeman, such
as a Tribune reporter met recently in
the terminal yards Of the Erie railroad.
in Jersey City. and ask him % explain
his set signals. the brakeman ls likely
TO start the Lesson by saying:
Watch my arms. There. That mCan4
10 shake en- up. Now watch again.
See how ] swung EN-? That means a
cut EN- on. When / swing both arms
So. that means they're broken Ga twoH
The reporter asked the brakeman -
90 q little slower and translate. Ind
brakeman shook his head as n hg
pitied one who could not understand
such a lucid explanation. Stretching
out his arms sideways. 50 that thep
stood at right angles Il his body, he
said:
That's the 50 ahead signal. utll
engineer I'm signaling to Is way dosu
the track. and its hard to catch hfs
eye. ! swing both arms. Il want him
20 shake EN- up or come ahead fast. l
also use both arms. II want them &c
~ ahead slow, l use one hand and ins,
move g."
AZ this moment another brakeman
near 10y began swinging his arms in 2
circle. up and down, as a would 70
swinging a hammer.
AT this moment another brakeman
nesr by began swinging his arm IN &
circle up ana down. as n would 10
swinging a hammer.
fherc,' exclaimed the reporters IN.
suuetor that the back np signsi /
was just going 70 make H. - he
spoke a passenger train propelled by a
brand new engine backed into a siding
along which a crowd Of impatient
Moutclair commuters were waiting
"Ycu want 20 watch the direction hl,
hands are going" continued thu rain.
road man, as he pointed to his fellow.
"As he swings his arms you notice that
mis- hand comes forward when Il is M
and goea backward when il Is down.
There's everything in the direction OF
the swing. For instance, 81 you swlur
your arms in Just Tho opposite direc
uon. Il would mean they're brokou N
two"
What's broken in two" asked Ia.
newspaper man.
Don't you knowg" exclaimed IN,
brakeman, with another look o. pity al
his pupil. '7why. the t1ain. Of course
The cars have become %uncouplod. Sc,
there and he pointed out into Ga,
freight yard. a freight engine wal
1 ] arfffnrffr a.. aE.-a g. "