The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-02-21

displaced by the next. The use of
brushes or other contacts is not, as
Mr.. Pigs pointed out, necessity of
the system, for slight notifications
by magnetic induction without any
contact being made at all.
The design of the apparatus by
responsible railway official insures
that the conditions of railway work
ing are known and appreciated. 1t
is free from the glazing impractical
bility that marks the efforts of en-
thusiastic outsiders to solve this and
similar problems. But whether it is
all that can be desired is quite an
other matter. In the discussion
which followed the reading of the
paper the railway engineers present
hardly gave it an enthusiastic APP
prevail. The opinion of the meeting,
with which we agree, seemed to be
that the cost was disproportionate to
the benefits obtained, and that there
were possibilities of trouble.
On the Fairford branch of the
Great Western Railway system of
audible cab signalling is in use which
appears in many respects more
simple than that described by Mr..
Pigg. In this constantly excited
electro magnet controls a small steam
whistle in the cab and the equivalent
| of passing of a signal at Danger"
de-energizes the magnet and causes
the whistle to blow. Any failure of
the electric circuit obviously pro-.
duces the same effect, so that the
healthy condition of the apparatus
is indicated with certainty.
The "all right signal is given by
a bell, so that there can be no con-
fusion between the two, and the more
important Of the two at least cannot
ifail to attract the drivers attention,
even when running bunker first, or
however deeply engaged in thought.
The use of a bell for both danger"
and "all right" calls in Mr.. Ravens
system is, as Mr.. Siemens pointed out,
a risky feature. The same speaker
voiced the general objection to it on
the score of cost, which objection
another gentleman-the inventor Of
a rival system maintained was pro-
hibitive in cab signalling. His
proposal was to make something in
the nature of fog horn sound when
| the engine passed signal. This
might be objected to by the inhabi-
tants of the immediate neighborhood.
but presuming it were otherwise sat
| isfactory it has the undoubted advan-
tage that it would serve all engines
alike. Any cab signalling system can
not replace the ordinary semaphores
until the whole of the engines using
the line are equipped. Further, no
foreign" engine could run over the
track of the company in question UNI
less equipped, for the ordinary sema-
phores for its guidance would be abb
sent
There is little doubt that sooner
| or later some method of cab signaf-
ling will be considered essential to
safe railway working. That it will
be more than mere signalling-the
entrance to a danger zone automatic
Tally stopping the train is almost as
certain. The actual method Of pick
ing up the signals cannot be forecast
ed. Mechanical contact and trigger
methods, the hopes of many inven-
tors, are already discredited by those
who realize the sort of blow moving
train gives and receives, however the
apparatus is designed. Neither can
one feel much enthusiasm about
making electric contact at high speeds
and under conditions of ice and
snow
A wire brush such as Mr.. Raven
uses is probably the only sort of con-
factor that is feasible. If the brush
is rigid and the plate is movable one
always has to fear the days when it
will become damned and will tear
off the CONTRACTOR from the engine.
Magnetic induction seems in prin-
ciple the best means of transmitting
the signals to the moving train. This
| involves no contact at all, and if
sufficient energy can be transmitted
to insure the reception of definite
signals it would seem to present the
fewest difficulties. Whatever means
are adopted they should be like the
semaphore in maintaining connec-
ton with the locomotive over long
space. A driver can see a signal
in clear weather for several hundred
yards, and it can be thrown up
against him if anything unforeseen
occurs, even after it has been
/ lowered.
| work, and it is not much above the
average of good shot. - Arlington