The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-29
New Device Out to Prevent
Train Wrecks.
Obstruction on Track Sets the
Car Brakes.
1T is A GOOD SCHEME
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Supervised Trials.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

Brooklyn N. z, May 29.-Frederick
Lacroix, a young engineer who halls
from San Antonio. Texas. but who Tor
the past five years has made his home
in Brooklyn bids fair to win for him
self great fame as the inventor of an
electric automatic railroad safety sig
nal which is to surpass everything 10
the way OF safety signals heretofore
known. The young inventor has been
testing his device on the Staten Is
land railroad for some weeks in the
presence Of some OF the most disting-
uished railroad authorities. The tests
have been uniformly successful.
One feature Of his device is a tele-
phone in the cab of the locomotive.
from which messages may be sent White
the train Is moving over the rails at
a speed of 30 miles an hour. But this
telephone is only an incidental adjunct
of the safety signaling device.
This system is designed to eliminate
the block system. 1t warns the engl-
neer of the presence or another train
and also stops both trains automatical-
" as soon as they approach within a
certain distance of one another. This
is accomplished by the breaking OF an
electric circuit which releases lever
that brings the air rushing into all the
brakes.
Tape Carries Electricity.
In order to establish this circuit there
is stretched along the right hand track
a stout steel tape, supported on small
pieces of metal. This tape carried ten
volts of electricity, enough for the pur
pose and yet insufficient to be danger
GUS At intervals wires run from the
tape to the telephone wires stretched
on the poles alongside the track. Be
low the engine cab a set or wire brusn-
es is adjusted so as to run along over
the steel tape, thus maintaining a con-
slant electric communication between
the cab and the station connected by
the regular telephone. By plugging
in the engineer connects his telephone
with the central at division head
quarters and gets whatever train OF
STATEN he desires.
There are other Epecial features OF
the Brooklyn mans device which Wh1le
highly important as elements of tech
meal efficiency are less interesting to
the layman.
Young Man Inventor.
Is.croix is only rs years old. His
fathers name is Richard and his moth
err was Miss Lena Wagner daughter
of Paul Wagner, well known san
Antonio merchant. The entire famlly
now live in Brooklyn. Ever since ne
was old enough to toddle young La
croix has tinkered with miniature rail-
road cars. He built numerous models
and gradually involved the idea of the
device which has just met the most
exacting tests.
The device was installed along the
line of the Staten Island Rapid Transit
railroad between Grasmere and Dongan
Hills. During the first two weeks about
200 tests were made and there was no
time when the apparatus failed to re-
spond. Tests were made to show that
the device would stop the approaching
train If there was q broken rail ahead
or If two trains were in the same
block.
Watches the Tests.
The tests were made IN the presence
of a distinguished party of railroad
fnanciers and inspectors of the inter-
state commerce commission. Chief IN
spector Burt and Assistant Inspector
Haywood of the commission spent some
weeks at Staten Island making care
ful examination of the Lacroix system,
and their report on it is bound to be
favorable. Among those who followed
the successful tests on Staten Island
were w. II. Vanderbilt, Jr.. w. x
Vanderbilt, Jr., James L. Hartman,
Borden Hartman, Seward Webb,
Creighton Webb, Benjamin Blum and
q number of railroad engineers. The
New York Central railroad and the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
railroad co-operated in the experiment
by Ioaning the inventor the necessary
third rail Suuipment.