The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-30
Origin of Railway Time Inspec'
ton in Year 1862.
Service Now Most Efficient ana
Safest in World.
WATCHES ARE BETTER
Exacting Requirements Incen-
tive to Manufacturers.
Other Items of General Interest,"
in Traffic World.

The origin of railway time inspec-
ton dates back to 1852, when ). -
Adams a matchmaker OF markeu dDiI
tty, who afterwards became an IN
tant figure in the American "atcIi ~
dustry, was appointed o1hclaI ~ e,
keeper for the railways cehlerIis -
Chicago. saws an article in Illinois
Central E4nnIovees' Magazine. The sys-
tenn thus organized has grown III Elk
tent and influence and has been an
important factor in bringing our ran,
way time service to the conoltiou -
being the most efficient ana sdiest ~
the world True, We are occdsloI let! ~
Mortified by an account OF solle
way disaster, but taking into account
the enormous number OF passengers
carried bv our railways and compar-
ing this with the number OF fatailtles'
we find that the latter amounts 10 oil
exceedingly small percentage
Their. we're carried by the ralIWays
of America during the year 1SOo' 9Sv,-
O09,574 passengers. Ihls giVeS d &C. 80
average of 2,43S,S32. the average
number of passengers, exclusive OF OPP
eratives, killed each day was one me
average injured was 80. NO StatlsllcS
embracing the number of killed anu
injured by other means of transporta-
ton are available, but who VIII queS-
ton that the percentage vastly exceeus
or that railway travel is by far the
safest as it is the most rapid means OIL
transportation?
while we feel justified in claiming
for the American watch recognition as
an important factor in bringing apcut
the efficiency of our railway time ser
vice. we fully appreciate the effect that
railway time inspection has had in
bringing about the perfection OF the
American railway watch Probably
Mr. Adams little dreamed of the III
ture Importance to be attained by the
inspection of railway watches organ
ICED by him in 1852, or the erect II
was destined to exercise upon the
American watch industry. The re-
quirem ents have become more and
more exacting from year to year and
have proved an incentive to American
manufacturers toward the improve
ment OF the time keeping quality and
the durability of their product. They
have thus far been successful in fully
meeting every requirement; in TACT
taking a step in advance
There was not in existence one sin
gle watch two hundred years ago that
was capable of keeping sufficiently &C
curate time to pass railway time in
spection today. The English govern
ment in 1850 offered a prize of $780,
COO equaling 100000, for a time
piece to be used on shipboard that
would enable longitude to be deter
mined at sea within half a degree.
This would require the instrument to
be within two minutes of meridian
time OF the place where set; in this
case Greenwich.
TIL prize was awarded to John Har-
rison, who constructed an instrument
that fully met the conditions, which
called for a variation not to exceed
two minutes. This famous instru-
ment was hung in cymbals that main
tanned it's position perfectly horizontal
under ell conditions brought about by
the rolling and pitching of the vessel.
A railway watch, carried in the
pocket, is subjected to a greater va
riety of jolts, jars and other sudden
motions: it is placed in every conceiv-
able position and is subjected to as
severe a test as we can well conceive
of: yet hundreds of American railway
watches carried today by engineers,
conductors, firemen and others are
capable of much closer time than the
world famous chronometer of Harri-
son.
The railway watch balance gives
$4,000 vibrations every hour
and if it were rolled along the ground
until it has given the same number
of revolutions that it does in the watch
in a single day, it would have Travelled
a distance of more than ten and half
miles. A locomotive placed on a track
around the world at the equator. the
locomotive having six-foot driving