The Washington times., 1907-07-27
Must Deal With CrankS;
RaiLvay Signal Board to
Give Balm to Inventors
All Appli anCeS for Preventing Wrecks Will
Be Considered, But Only Systems of Train
Control Can Be Tested by Experiment.
when is a crank not a crank?

When is q crank not a crank
How Is the genius with a great inyen-
ton to be dinereniateS from the man
with half-baked and haIf-crazy notion
These are questions that loom large
Just now before the Block Signal and
Train Control Board, whiC'l is in session
AT the building Of the Interstate Con-
merce Commission. beginning its great
task Of sitting the devices for prevention
OF railway accidents.
Congress mas put up TO this board the
immense task Of finding out how The
great loss OF life and property on Ameri-
can railroads may be prevented. The
board is now holding its second session.
and has determined 10 meet once each
month. and as much oftener as may be
necessary At these sessions, for the
present, its attention will be given
especially 10 consideration Of the wide
range OF devices and systems for pre-
venting train accidents.
Will Hear Inventors.
The board has every prospect OF being
first aid 70 the injured inventors vino
feel that their projects have been un-
| appreciated or have been rejected by
the manufacturers Of safety appliances
Probably a thousand letters from IN
ventors and other people with more or
less useful schemes have been turned
over 10 the board for consideration.
The board is systematically going
! through them in the effort 10 separate
out the wheat from the tares 70 deter
mine what are useful and what are not.
In the course OF this effort il is going
10 have hearings at which the inventors.
II they wish, may set forth their claims
and demonstrate their appliances.
Some OF the inventors have already
been heard. and 81 IS apparent that
the board is going to have some inter
/ estlng sessions with the inventors. To
determine thar an eccentric old gen
| tleman with long hair and an utterly
! impractical method OF presenting his
case is crank and has nothing OF val
I ue, Is dangerous business Inventors are
frequently impractca- persons but tnsir
/ inventions have revolutionized society.
The board proposes TO give them all a
| fair hearing
Cooley Respects Crauks.
The invention or the crank Uhicn
converted a direct. reciprocal motion in
20 a rotary molten. was the greatest
mechanical invention OF the ages, said
| Chairman NJ. Z. Cooley. OF the board.
Il always get satisfaction out of mou-
tioning this as a reason why cranks
are entitled 70 consideration Cranks
make the world 90 round"
And tho cranks are going TO be given
| a good chance. From all over the land
they have been flooding the commission
and the board with letters II has not
ben possible yet 20 determine how many
Of them have ideas which are worth the
making Of tests in actual service. but
any that are viii get the trial.
The board is authorized BY Congress
70 investigate and report on the use
and necessity for block signal systems
and appliances for the automatic con-
/ troll OF railway trains in the United
States This language Is so narrow
that IL precludes eXpending money for
some purposes that would unquesuou-
ably be very useful Thus one man has
q safety rail. for which ne claims much.
II can't be made the subject or OK
| periments under this law Another las