The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-06-12

- cannot be got by
wire, then a sig
- nal can be thrown
by the dispatcher to hold up any train
at any point"
He was talking about device which
is being experimental with on
section Of the Boston & Maine rail
road. It had been mentioned that in
one year 5000 rear and front end rail
way collisions had occurred in the
United States. The killed and IN
jured had numbered in these disasters
1900 passengers and $4,000 en-
ployes, and the property loss had been
s10,000,000
Some Of the greatest wrecks Of
America have been due TO the inabii-
ity Of train dispatcher to get the op-
orator at given point Perhaps he
was absent somewhere in the station
yard Oh the company's business. For
a country operator IS generally station
agent, freight agent and baggagemas-
ter combined. Or he may have been
asleep. At any rate he couldn't be
raised and the train dispatcher had to
stand helplesslyaby knowing that a
train laden with passengers was rush
Ing to destruction.
That is where the telemeter would
do the trick, according to the invent
or. It wouldn't make any difference
should the operator be absent from his
post. If be we're within hearing he
would be summoned by gong. The
sazae would wake him were he asleep.
Should he be out Of earshot and the
train dispatcher did not receive a re-
sponse to his call, signal could be
6hown by the dispatcher at the point
received by the simple process Of
pressing a key.
For instance, suppose telemeter
we're attached to a telegraph line be-
tween Boston and Portland, Ne The
operator would be able 70 call any sta
tion without disturbing any other sta
ton. This system is 30 organized
that it may be quickly applied to line
without modification Of the existing
apparatus.
II a train we're to pass a given point
between these two stations and II
was necessary 70 catch that train al
the next station 10 prevent a collision
with another--that is where the tele-
meter would be a godsend. Perhaps
the operator at the station the train
dispatcher would try 70 reach could
not be got. No answer came to his
frantic call.
II the train passcd that point there
musf be q wreck. After the dispatcher
had trisd 10 get the operator and TO
ceived no answer to his signals, he
would then press his keys to throw the
semaphore, and the colored light sig-
nal which would bring the train 70 q
standstiil Al that station.
What teleGEaphers say is the beauty
81 this contrivanee is that the dis.
patcher ca call any station on the
system, md over q single line, with
put disturbing in the least the ordi-
nary business or working Of the tele.
graph. The telemeter is simple In con.
struction, IL attachable to the present
telegraph wires. and requires no addi
honal wire whatever. Furthermore
II does not interfere with the usuai
telegraph instruments IN actual opera
ton, and enables the dispatcher tc
place himself into immediate commu
nication with any operator on his line
The telemeter seems to be human
only more unerring. For after tbs
dispatcher has failed to raise the or
orator by sounding the call and then
the gong, he sets the signal for the
train to stop Immediately there
comes to him a response automat
lcally. telling whether the signal has
acted or not.
It enables the dispatcher to set and
display any semaphore or light on his
line from his own office. And II re
turns information as to whether that
particular semaphoIe o. light has beer
set No operator on the line can tam
per with It IN any way, so that false
signals cannot be shown.
There is also an attachment in con
nection with the instrument which
Is calculated TO prevent delays ant
blnkades Of trains where ffeights II
isolated sidetrscks cannot be reached
with orders. For these attachments
placed IN small boxes at every siding
can be used by the conductors OF sucl
trains to report their whereabouts. B!
q code of signals they can he notified
whether to stop or proceed. The con
ductors do not require to know teieg
raphy They have only 10 ring II
the simplest signals