Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-19
SYSTEM WORK
Demonstration Of Dispatching by Tel.
ephone is Given by J. G. len.
nings, of the Rock Island.
ADVANTAGES ARE SHOWN
Phone Has Dot and Dash Method
Beaten in Time and Is Its Equal
in Accuracy.

j. G. Jennings Of Chicago, superin- |
tendent of telegraph for the Rock Is
land, was in the city yesterday and
gave a demonstration to representa-
tives of the newspapers of this city
and Moline of the operation of the
telephone which has been installed for
the use of the train dispatcher. AL
though the proposition of dispatching
trains by telephone is practically a
new one. its success is already assur-
ed and it is far past the experimental
stages. The Rock Island was among
the very first to realize that the using
of the telegraph by the train dispatch
er is about over, and it at once took
steps to try out the successor of the
telegraph. This was done on the
Salina branch in Kansas, where sta
tons some 40 miles apart were con-
nected with seven intervening Offices.
Last August the line was completed
| and put in commission, and as it gave
perfect satisfaction, the work of equip
ping the whole line was taken up in
earnest. Several months later, or in
November, the Illinois division, ex-
tending from Blue Island to Daven-
port, and having the chief dispatcher's
Office in this city, was so equipped, and
Idispatching by telephone instead of
telegraph has been done ever since.
The company expects to install the
telephone on all its lines in the near
future and during the year 1909 about
Ia thousand miles will be so equipped.
How Apparatus Works.
The telephone system is practically
| The same as what is known to the res
idents of the city as party line; that
is, every operator along the track is
connected with the chief dispatcher on
the same circuit. The dispatcher holds
the place of central" and the receiv-
er is at his ear all the time he is on
Iduty An operator along the line who
wishes to talk to the dispatcher has
only to take down his receiver and
speak to have the dispatcher answer
him at once. He cannot. however, call
dispatcher. and as calling other Offices
is not one of an operators privileges,
the line is always free for use to the
dispatcher In front of the chief dis
patcher is what is termed master
selector." 1t contains an automatic
signal which enables the dispatcher to
call any or all Offices along the line
! by merely pressing a button. A bell
, in the desired Office is set to ringing
at once, and as it can be heard at q
/ distance of fully block, it insure:
prompt answering. When the opera
tor answers. the dispatcher gives hin
/ his orders, spelling out each word ant
I number, and then it is repeated bacl
= to him. This takes but a fraction o
: the time formerly required to do tn,
e same thing.
Eliminates Much Trouble
AS this shows telephone dispatchin!
tof trains eliminates no small amour
= of work for the chief dispatcher, ant
accordingly makes his work NOR
Thorough and at the same time NOR
{ lsure. Under the system using the te
!. legraph he was busy all the time an
Twas unable to keep up with his RI
lports. while the haste made necessar
: lin giving his orders rendered ther
Xioften very obscure and likely to caus
oltrouble. At the same time every OF
&ierator along the line had to have hi
G ear trained to constantly watch {
s distinguish his call from the incessar
q sounding of the instruments in hi
4 Ioffice. Failure to do this might mea
XIa disastrous wreck. Then. too. no on
3 but an operator could converse owe
6lthe wire, and in case Of an accider
2tor the sickness Of the operator tn;
8 office was out of commission until a
z lother operator was hustled to 1t.
81 Difference In Time.
81 The telephone has so many adva
y ltages over the telegraph for dispatc