The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-07-23
TO PROTECT LIVES
Western Railway Officials Making
Tests of Safety Switch De-
vice in Western States
DEVICE WORKS LIKE A CHARM

A train on the main line of the Bur
lington road, going at speed Of fifty
miles an hour yesterday, ran past
block signal which stood at Z" DANGER
and was automatically brought 80 a
full stop 1,1OO feet beyond
While the test was being made a
score of the foremost operating men
of the United States, representing rail
roads from coast to coast, either rode
on the train or watched from the side
of the track the operation of the new
automatic device for stopping trains
when the engine crews have disregard
ed the warning signal
The experiment was conducted for
the benefit of the joint committee of
the American Railway association, of
which F. G. Rice of the Burlington is
chairman. The joint committee is
made up of members Of the train rules
and safety devices committee Of the
association.
Shortly before the experiment. was
tried the operating men sat in room
in the Burlington company S Aurora
quarters and listened attentively while
the most complex train orders known
were transmitted a distance of lis
miles, received, repeated and go.
K. ID" by telephone instead Of tele-
graph. Within short time the board
of control, appointed by the interstate
commerce commission under an act by
congress for making an investigation
of block signaling and safety devices,
will be given similar experience.
Regarding the operation, or as it is
technically called, the "dispatching of
trains" by telephone, all the operating
men were enthusiastic. With one ac-
cord they declared that the day of the
telegraph for use in the railway service
is rapidly passing.
With respect to the automatic stop
ping of trains where signals have been
disobeyed the railway experts were not
SO certain. Although cautious in APP
proving such radical departure in oper-
alton, they all agreed that a decided
step in advance had been made in the
direction of absolutely preventing col
lisions of any kind between trains on
a single or double track. With this
character Of railway wrecks eliminated,
fatalities on American railways would
be reduced by very large percentage.
The new device operates the block
signal and when that is at danger q
spring is set which opens a valve on
the locomotive and sets the air brakes.
After several tests at varying speed,
which were made at Eola, just west
of the city limits, the operating men
admitted that trains could successfully
be stopped even when the engineer
was using his steam. They were In
clined to believe, however, that a few
more minor improvements would have
to be made to insure the operation of
the device in winter weather and to OBJ
viate the weakening of the track at
the point of connection between the
device and the track.
The train which was used consisted
of an engine and three heavy cars and
was in charge of Mr.. Rice. The first
experiment was at speed of about
twenty miles an hour, when the train
was stopped within one hundred feet
Of the signal. Then the train backed
down to get two-mile start and was
under full Roadway when the signal
was passed.
Those on the train felt no lar or
discomfort when the . emergency ap-
plcation Of air was made by the sud
den opening of the air valve. The
emergency application is the most sud
den and violent application of air
brakes that can be made. The in
stallation of the device on single
track is such that two trains coming
from opposite directions will automati-
cally be brought to full stop before
they can possibly collide. The mechan-
ism which operates the signals and
also the automatic stop is such that
the passing of trains over the rails
automatically stores the electricity for
the operation of the entire device.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dickhaut of MIL