The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-03-29
ADVANTAGES OF III
81 'PHONE,SYSTEM
TRAIN DIsPATcHlNo BY TELE
PHONE EASIER AND SAFER
THAN BY TELEGRAPH
SAYS OFFICIAL.

Gus r. Hartman. OF the suporintcn-
cents office OF the Copper Range rail-
road gives the following as some of the
advantages to be derived from the i'm
stalling of the new telephone dispatch
ing system which will be placed in use
on that road Saturday, April 1.
THE ease and rapidly of handling
trains. the selective signaling of amy
and all stations, the elimination OF
noisy telegraph instruments, the in
crease in safety of train operators and
the direct connections with the train-
men.
THE handling of trains by telephone
Instead Of the antiquated Morse train
wire now in common use is a compar-
atively new undertaking.; continued
Mr.. Hartman. Although il has been
thought OF for many years il never has
been put into practice on large steam
roads until recently. The success
which has been achieved by these rail-
roads in the handling of heavy train
traffic on single double. three and four
track systems. by telephone instead of
by telegraph, has attracted the atten-
ton OF the railroad world. The tele-
phone possesses so many advantages
over the slow Morse methods OF today
that il will certainly within a short
time largely displace the telegraph both
for the handling OF trains and for the
distribution Of general business mes
sages between stations on the rail-
roads Not only does the telephone
render possible the faster surer, and
safer handling Of trains but il provides
direct communication between the dis
patcher and the train or engineer with
out any go-betweens.
1T has long been theory that only
the telegraph could be relied upon FOR
the transmission Of train orders be-
cause il necessitated the writing of
orders and a written receipt of them
thus avoiding misunderstanding which
might arise from verbal messages. For
this reason tests were made by the
Burlington railroad, Pennsylvania
Rock Island and other big railroads and
the results of the telephone train or
der tests proved that the telephone is
faster and more flexible. the dispatcher
being able 10 get far more detailed in
formation as TO what each train is doc
ing, even when occasion requires. talk
ing directly with the train or engine
men. Much time is saved in the
transmission of orders
The dispatcher copies the order in
his book as he talks il off. thus gagine
or rather reducing his speed of CONVEX
sation 10 his ability to write &c down.
as well as the ability OF operators 10
do so. Then when the operator repeats
the message he does so as rapidly as
he can talk much faster than Is possi- .
bic by telegraph. Verbal REPETITION of
the train orders gives perfect check
II is claimed against mistakes and tho
written order is preserved as iu the
case OF telegraph messages II is far
easier 10 secure competent telephone
operators than telegraphers. Anybody
can answer a telephone. an important
item in case of an accident To- regular
operator, heretofore always "a telc-
grapher. The telephone works even
better in bad weather than good. With
the telephone it is possible TO arrange
apparatus. for instance, in the superin-
tendent's office so that the office can
n any time listen TO the actual
work Of dispatchers and operators and
Ihus check up any tendency Co Stuck
ness. The new federal law prohibiting
railway telegraphers from working
more than nine hours voluntarily or
otherwise, made it impossible for the .
railroads 20 secure enough telegra- /
I.hers and they were compelled 10 /
Hose many offices, they claim, but
here will never be a scarcity OF mon \
tble to telephone messages"