The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-11
TRAM
It nests with the Railroads Absolutely %
Prevent Rear End COTisiona.

Prevent Rear END COuisiOne.
To THE EDITOR OF THB SUN-Sir: A boy
was once promenading the streets shouting
-Hot meat piesl- and delivering pies to every
body willing. to put up 10 cents. One GUS
toner turned to the boy and accused him Of
Misrepresentation. These pies are not hot
and there's no meat In them protested the
customer. You're a cheat and a liRri-
Not so fast" answered the boy. Il do
not say that the pies are hot or that they
contain meat. Hot meat pies Is the nams
OF this pastry and has nothing to do with
its condition or cont ents. Hot meat pies"
This incident in directly applicable to q
practice prevailing among railroad com.
panies Of de~nominating certain conditions OF
train operating as q block system" Since
the recent accident on the Southern Railway,
which was made conspicuous by the death
OF President Spencer. there have been various
letters in The SUN which might lead the
public to believe that railroad collisions are
inevitable, and that even the block system
fails to keep trains from coming together with
disastrous results. A little investigation
Of the so-called block systems will show
that some Of them have n close resemblance
60 the hot meat pies.
There are several kinds OF block syst ems
thar aim 10 keep railway trains apart. When
railroad operating was first introduced the
companies depended on the vigilance Of tho
engineers and conductors to get their trains
through safely. and they performed tho duty
wonderfully well. But it came to pass that
trains were so numerous and fast that me-
chanical aids were considered necessary to
protect trains which were not running, so
stationary signals were established at sta
lions for the protection OF trains standing
at these stopping points. The station pro-
lection signals were work ed up to an elaborats
extent and accidents at stations we're pre-
vented. but IL sometimes happened that
trains were stopped between stations. and
other trains would run into them in spite Of
the protection supposed to be offered by q
nagman sent out from the delayed train.
While the evolution OF the system for pro-
tecting trains was going on a very plausible
but elusive plan was brought into operation.
that OF putting a time limit between trains,
or prohibiting one train from passing . given
point until the train which preceded Il had
been gone a specified time. It happened
occasionalty that the time margin for safety
was ample. but the preceding train had got
stalled around a nearby curve and a rear
end collision occurred.
That led to the introduction OF the bloch
system. by which n railroad was divided into
blocks A. r.. G. ID. NC. and arrangements
were made to prohibit two trains from being
on the same block. There are several ways
OF regulating tho operation OF the block sys-
tenn. the best known means being what IL
called manual control. the other automatic
electric control. With the first men are
stationed at the towers separating the block.
Their duty is TO keep informed on the move
ments of trains and never to allow a train to
enter a block until the man on the next tower
signals that the preceding train has passed
out, When properly carried out this 10 known
us the absolute block system"
The automatic block system has a track
electric equipment by which the signals are
kept at danger when a train is on the block.
on the leading railways in Europe. and COL
lisions between trains are almost unknown.
The automatic electric svstem Is used on
several American railroads.. and on the whole
works well where the train men are properly
instructed to obey the signals.
On some roads there In a vicious arrange
ment in use called the permission block
system. This permits an engineer to enter
a block when the signal Is at danger and 70
to many accidents.
The system in use on the Southern Railway
and on many others ia known as the telegraph
block system. Under IL the telegraph opera
tors at stations perform the duties executed
by, The Iss TOW S s sv men %. OF the oeb m9n Smt,s BLOCK 81 system sSsstem;
besides Watching trains. and II very often
happens that failure TO report trains on the
to accidents. The system Ia used because
It is cheap. and is no block system at all.
Unless se, S a 0Ioo * sy = Is absolute b 1t Is worss,
responsibility. Of the engineer, The protec-
ton of stalled trains by fiagmen is notorious
who has been a passenger in a train stopped
bet ween stations.
American railroad trains could be operated
as safely as those on European railways are
II the same precautions were taken TO prevent
An absolute block system Ia
essential. but the men operating the system
must be trained 70 obey the rules absolutely.
Most Of our accidents are caused by those
responsible for the movements Of trains
being permitted habitually to take dangerous
chances. Day after day they run past danger
getting their TRAVIS through on time. instead
OF being punished for violating important
rules.
If railroad officials were sincerely anxious
to prevent accidents an automatic telltale
apparatus would be inst allied in connection
with every danger signal, as they are on the
New York subway, and no engineer would
dare to run past a danger signal. Introduce
ing n system of that kind would cost a little
money and at times il would cause a few min
utes delay. but 1t would efectually prevent
collisions. ENorNEER.