The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-14

|
day. The visitors were honored with
seats IN the cabs of the locomotives.
cach engineer set his mighty machine at
full speed, and the two big engines
rushed at each other The engineer
leaned out of his window careless1v and
apparently took no further notice Of
the throttle
Looking out at the approaching train
caused real shivers and was just n tri-
re TOO thrilling to be fun. When one
began 10 think that som ethinc mi 2ht
90 wrong with the trial apparatus and
such speculations did not help any.
Just rs hoarse whisper was heard.
Isn't 1t time for somebody to get
busy with somcthiug?' the trains
gently slowed up, without Jar and
without movement of the engineers.
IL Is moi at ell to the discredit Of those
III the cabs that there went up
an audible sigh of relief.
Anticipates Emergencies.
When backing down again toward the
city the train suddenly stopped. This
time the engineer did not know what
was coming. He said some words and
tried TO go ahead but was held. With
out his knowledge somebody had thrown
| open The switch and put the controller
on the Job.
This is not all Mr.. Miunick' s sppara-
| tus did. Before one of the engines
reached the Jordan river bridge, the
inventor touched something on pole
and the whistle blew il was explained
4 that the controller does this when ar
| preaching bridges and crossings of all
kinds wherever the apparatus is in
stalled. Appliances also can he at
| tached to give warning of broken
rail.
! Again. train having run past sta
tion through neglect of the agent or
otherwise, can be automatically stopped
Such things have occurred and in such
| cases the operator whose duty It was
| to stop the train either took to The
woods or blew out his brains Some of
the worst OF train wrecks in history
have occurred In this manner
Mr., MInnick s device has history.
| lie is an electrical engineer aud an old
railroad man. For seven wears he has
been pcrfecting the controller, and has
sought the assistance of eminent eicc
trical experts and engineers in thc
working out of his ideas. Extensive
tests were made in Pennsylvania and
ip other places Ill the east. the secret
Of the device being carefully guarded
from the public. Yesterday was the
| first instance when he was willing to
| permit the newspaper men TO witness
test, though various articles concerning
| it have appeared in some of thesbtg
| eastern papers.
Inventors Explanation.
The inventor S applications for pat
cnts are now in such shape that he is
willing to let the public into his conf
| dencc, His own explanation Of the
| nature Of the device, which he calls an
"automatic train controller is very
much better than Iayman could give
He says:
wire or small I rail- Weighing about
three pounds 10 the yard along the cen
ter OF the railroad track. Connection Is
made between the third rail or wire with
the electrical device in the cab of the
engine by wire brush attached to the
pilot Of the engine.
An electrical device Is installed in each
engine and the electrical energy is sup
piled by storage batteries connected with
the device OF about the same capacity
as are used in an ordinary automobile.
The third rail is arranged in blocks
of about two miles. When two engines
equipped With this device enter the same
block a short circuit IS produced. the
electrical device Is put in operation. au-
tonlatlcaly makes several applications OF
air and applies the air brakes TO the en-
Sinc and each car on the train In the
same manner that careful engineer
does, so that the train is stopped with
out jar, In this way hcadon and rear
end collisions are absolutely prevented
In the same manner II VIII stop a train
and prevent IL from entering an open
switch, or upon washed out or burned
bridge II can also be set so that il
will automatically whistle at all rail and
wagon road crossings.
By another attachment the station
agent can by turning a switch cause the
device TO operate and AUTOMATICALLY stop
train which has inadvertently passed
a station
Means New Industry.
II is the intention to form company
and manufacture the appliances in Salt
Lake, if those interested can persuade !
the railroads that it would be to their
interest TO adopt the invention. For |
eigu patents have been applied for and
there has been keen interest in rail |
road circles concerning the invention,
Mr., Mipnick has already taken up his
residence in Salt Lake, and interested
with him are j. T. Hammond and Will
liam Groesberk. who witnessed the
tests Yesterday with great interest,
Both have the utmost confidence that
Mr.. Minnick can do all he saws he can
do; in fact, have seen him do 1t,
"Thc cost of installation will not be
prohibitiye," said Mr., Minniek. Gone
fair sized wreck would cost more than
the installation for a whole division:
1t means the laying of three pound
third rail and would cost about SO
or $500 a mile. What it would save
not onlv in property. but IN the loss
of life. is incalculable. -
Mr.. Minpice says that the idea was
suggested to him when he was In The
employ of the Missouri Pacific, Ten ten
wears ago at Alliance, Neb, A big
wreck on the line had cost hal ia mi,
lion dollars. The superintendent had
then said 10 him: 'Why can I you
electrical fellows fix up something that
will prevent these things. lf you man
age something that would do the Work,
the cost would not be considered
That started Mr.. Minnick and three
wears later he had laid out his device
in his mind and began work on tho de-
tails. Several complete outfits were
made and abandoned and taken up
again, until the inventor Dow believes
he is ready for practical application
of the device. -,
The success of Mr.. Miunirk will
mean tho addition of large factory TO
Salt Lake industries. \ company VIII
be Incorporated shortly to handle the
enterprise.
Lame back is one OF the most common