New-York tribune., 1906-12-03
troubles, the Tillmans and the Vardamans would
be shamed to silence.
FL4GNEN AND SIGNALMEN.

"Tbe Railroad Gazette" which evidently went
to press before news of the Southern Railway
disaster was received, discusses In It's latest
issue an inconsistency In the practice of the
best managed trunk lines of this country. Two
distinct provisions against rear end collisions
are often employed at the same time. One is
the practice of sending brakeman back from
train which stops for any reason, his duty
being TO warn with a flag, or by placing torpe
Hdoes on the rails. the engineer of a following
train. The other precaution is in the use of
signal Indicating whether the subdivision, or
block Immediately beyond 1t is clear or not
The second of these methods of protection Is
the more modern, and, everything considered
appears preferable to the first Yet American
railway superintendents seem unwilling to dis
pense with the old even when they have
adopted the new.
The hesitation thus betrayed shows that rail-
road men do not vet regard the block signal
system as absolutely perfect, and to some
tent their lack of confidence is justified by
resolution adopted the other day by an organiza
ton which has made a special study of the
subject The so-caed Signal Association, at
meeting in Washington formally voted that bet
ter results were TO be expected when block sig
nails were operated by hand than when con-
trolled by purely automatic means, and in rec
ommending the manual system 1t was careful
TO prescribe certain details which were deemed
essential to safety. The views there expressed
may be modified in the course of time, but the
mere act of putting them record shows that
there has been much diversity of opinion about
the proper way TO operate block signals.
At the meeting referred to "a paper was pre-
sented by representative OF the Southern Pa
cific road, Mr.. Slater, proposing that when
brakeman is sent out from train he be re-
quired to go back only far enough to see that
the block signal has been set at "danger"-pro-
vided that it is at least half q mile oistant-and
that he be then permitted to return to his train,
after putting torpedoes quarter Of a mile be-
hind it, THE Railroad Gazette" does not ap-
prove the suggestion, however. for it believes
that if the rear brakeman habitually noted the
position of signal as train passed 1t, the In
formation thus secured would prove adequate.
1t even more strongly discredits the practice,
which evidently still prevails on some roads, of
compelling the brakeman to proceed on foot all
the way to the first signal post and even beyond
it. That usage, it thinks insults" the man in
charge Of the signal tower.
THE Railroad Gazette's' reasoning is not
without force, but the course which 1t favors
probably would not have saved President Spen-
GERS life. 1t may be taken for granted that
after the Jacksonville express was admitted to
the block which begins at Rangoon the signal
there was set In the stop position. Shortly
afterward it was changed so as to allow the
Atlanta train TO pass The mistake could not
have been detected, however, by observation
from the rear car Of the first train. 1t Is also
manifest that the manual method Of operating
signals, admirable as 1t may be. is not infallible.
Undoubtedly, last weeks accident will give
rise to fresh consideration of the problem Of
preventing rear end collisions, and an improve
ment on existing practices and appliances may
result from the concentration of thought upon
the subject. In the mean time, those who have
advocated adherence to the usage Of dispstching
a flag from a stalled train will probably IN
dergo no change Of opinion.