Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-27
feel the fi-cffects at the time. may even
tually develop q Tobacco heart"
VIZ RAILROAD SIGNALS EAIL
Confusion ResuTtinE from Dimerence
I'm Day and NiEht
Signals.

The really grove fault in the present
arrangement is not that the signals are
changed twice daily, but that the alternate
sets are OF immensely different value, and
the worse signals are In force during the
very period OF greatest danger. The on
coming OF night which from 90 many causes
is the most perilous time Of travel, makes
useless the signals which require the en-
gineer merely to distinguish forms and
directions and brings in their stead colors,
which are peculiarly liable to be misread.
The difficulties with which these color sig
nails are burdened cannot believe are fully
known to oil. -
The plan that 1 would propose would be
20 use throughout the twenty-four hours
the kind OF signal which IL now employed
only by day. This could be ac-
complished simply by making at night the
vane OF the semaphore luminous. AS, in
our cities, lights are arranged in lines OF
letters to catch the attention, 80 here the
signal could become a fiery arm pointing
outward or down or, II need be, midway
between these directions, at will. Such a
line Of fire would be strikingly different
from the usual lights of buildings OF of
streets. II would also, both in quality and
In form, stand out entirely distinct from all
the colored lights whose use upon the rail-
way 1t may, in the end, seem wise to con-
tinue for purposes other than the block
signal. continuous line OF light, more
over would be visible at far greater
distance than is the present single light.
The glowing signal lights would best be
white and Of course should not change In
tint in order TO convey their message.
This would at once remove all need OF dis
green or red. with all the risk which the
distinction brings.
The mechanical difficulties Of introducing
the new form of signal would not be great.
A row Of half dozen oil lamps stretched
along the front Of the signal srm-lamps
Of the type at present used in the block
system-could be oounterpoised to prevent
their interference with the proper action
Of the mechanism which controls the arm.
Even with such lanterns the new system
would -ha~e-an immense superiority over
the old. but no one should regard these
weak lights as more than a makeshift; for
what is urgently needed Is something that
will penetrate the smoke and mist and
storm. There would be many advantages
in using incandescent electric lights
throughout the large area where a suitable
current Is now avallable-an area rapidly
increasing, and doubtless destined soon to
cover nearly our whole land. The objec-
ton to the use of electric lights, that they
are liable suddenly TO fail If for any rea-
son the current is interrupted. would not
be serious where electricity is also the
motive power of the trains, for should the
current cease and the signal lights so out
the train would at the same time soon be
brought to a stop and there would be no
immediate danger from the interruption.
But on roads where electricity is not the
motive power the best illuminant for the
new signal would perhaps be gas stored
under pressure In tanks-gas such as is
used in many of our railway cars or In the
gas buoys set along our shores by the gov
eminent Since these buoys burn INTENDED
for months in storm or calm. 1t would
seem that such a light might well be
adapted to illuminate the semaphore arm.
For II a line of oil lamps we're used the
temptation would be strong to economize
In weight and consequently in oil capacity,
and thus to have only a moderate brill
liancy where a powerful light is needed
George H. stratton in the Century.