The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-07-24
THROUGH ENoLAND's foos
Iron Nerve Required by Engine-Driv-
ers and Many Precautions
Necessary.

Express trains at 60 miles an hour
In a dense fog is the remarkable
achievement of railway companies to-
day, as result of patient experiment
and years of experience in fog-signal-
ing.
Engine-drivers require an iron nerve
to drive an express train during a fog
that obscures the signals, but the
man on whom he relies for safe run
ming is the fog-signalman. The sight
of these men appearing at intervals
along the line inspires him with the
confidence that no amount of ingeni-
Gus appliances could give, for the fog
man is in practice a human substi-
tute for the ordinary methods of sig
mailing, which to the driver are non
existent for the time being
Fogmen are drawn from the gangs
of plate-layers, their occupation of re-
pairing the line being too hazardous
to follow during a fog Fogmen are
divided into three classes-callmen
fog-signalmen and relefmen-and,
for the purpose of signaling, the line
Is divided UP into sections, the en-
trance of each section being guarded
by distant" or "fsh-tail" signal.
This signal indicates the state of the
section ahead. and if at danger the
driver knows that he must reduce
speed and be prepared to stop dead
at the next or home, signal, until the
section is clear
Each fogman has a definite post al
lotted to him, to which he repairs
when fog comes on. On his way to
the signal which he is Jogging" he
reports to the signalman at the near
est cabin, obtains a supply of deto-
majors, flags, and a hand-lamp. Ar
rived at his post he fixes ON the rail
two decorators, ten yards apart So
long as the signal remains at dan
GER the two detonators are kept on
the rail, and are exploded by passing
trains, the fogman showing the driver
and guard a red danger signal with
his hand-lamp. In railway phrase
ology this is known as Shooting the
driver" and has the effect of pulling
up the train pretty sharply One of
two explosions has the same signifi-
canoe, two detonators being put down
as a precautionary measure against
the event of one being defective and
failing to explode.
As an additional precaution, a plate
layer is employed at the principal
signal-boxes to act as groundman.
His duties are to watch the trains
as they pass, and report to the signal
man in his cabin above any unusual
occurrence.
Fogmen work IL hours at stretch.
If called out after an ordinary days
work, the hours of Jogging duty" are
limited to six, and the reliefmen take
their places. Like soldiers on sentry
duty, they are periodically visited by
responsible officials, to insure that
their duties are being performed eff
ficiently. They are supplied with re-
freshments at intervals, and each man
is supplied with a hut and 'fire-devil."
Enormous quantities of detonators
are used annually, and as they cost
two cents each, this item, added to the
wages bill of the fogmen, is a large
financial burden on railway companies.
To avoid the waste of using two
decorators where one would answer
the purpose, railway companies have
now extensively adopted an ingenious
appliance known as detonator econo-
miser. The feature of this machine is
that the explosive force of the first
detonator is used to defect a plate
which revolves a crank, and takes the
second detonator off the rail If the
first detonator fails to explode, the
second remains on the rail
AT numerous places where fog-sig
nalmen attend to two signals de
tonator-laying machines are in use
to minimize the number of accidents
that have occurred to men crossing
the lines