The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-02-15
What a Great Railway Syste m
is Doing in the West.
Union Pacific Railroad
Continued From Last Week.

1t will never be possible to measure
the results of this one activity. for
wealth have been opcrcd up to new
settlers, established new homes ard
new towns, thus creating entirely new
centcrs of industry and community life,
For these sections, as well as for the
older ones. the company is steadily
erecting new and commodious dcpots
plying its people with abundant liter
aturc upon the West, which has proved
Of direct educational value. The ten
dency, whether it was the original idea
or not, of all this is to build up out in
this great West ademOcracy among the
people who have cast their lot with the
prise of empire building, and as one
travels from Omaha to Ogden he meets
upon every hand with thousa nd evi-
denccs of this; and he will find it even
more impressive as he divcrts his
course from the main line out along
the by-paths of recent colonization,
where the settlers unfettcred by old
prejudices. are fully prepared to ar-
preciate what it all means to them.
In this scheme of courtng friendlj-
ness with the public the Uyion Pacific
has not forgotten its own p 200 en-
ployes. to whom it pays in the course
of year about $50, O0O, 900 in wages,
and has not forgotten that they and
their attitude toward the public con-
stitute vital factor. So the company
has taken its employees into its con-
fidencc and made them feel the mutual
ity of interests and that they are to OBJ
serve rules ofuniform courtesy in deal
| ing with patrons of the road. And the
same protection in travel that is pro
vded for the public safeguards the EN-
ployc Not only that, but in Omaha the
school of instruction for their benefit.
and this is for the men in the Office.
the shop or on the road for any and
all who have the desire and ambition
to learn and become something more
than mere hacks at their trade.
The Union Pacific's system of pro-
tccting its trains is admittedly the
most complete and efficient in the
United States. 1t consists Of the auto
mails and switches, switch signals,
crossing bells. staff system. illumn-
ated train indicators instruction cars,
air brakes examinations and an edu.
catIonal bureau of information. Moth
ing in the way of modern device offor-
ing safety for those who travel has
been overlooked and Millions Of dol.
lars have been expended in first cost,
to say nothing of the vast sums being
expended in maintenance.
This automatic block system for the
prevention of head-on and rear end
collisions and derallmcnts due to open
switches, broken rails, etc, covers the
entire system of the Union Pacific. The
distinct advantage which this auto
matte block system has over any other
block system lies in the fact that it
escapes entirely the clement Of human
falibiHty. 1t cannot fail to protect,
even if it should get out of order,
while the ordinary block system de
Deuis always on the alcrtncSS of a
human being. With the line Of road
divided into blocks of from one to
three miles and these automatic sig
ais stationed al the end of every
block. it becomes physically impossible
for tNo trains to collide unless the en-
ginoman should determine to rcausc a
collision No train will ever 20 into a
block without due precautions. as long
as Il pair of wheels Of another are
there, for the arms IN the signal sta
ton will warn them, and even a broken
raiI or other object thrown across the
tracks would cause the same warning.
The signals are operated by a small
electric motor, and the train on the
tracks. or any defect, short circuits the
current and throws up the warning
arm. So that in repair or out the auto
matte signal produces the same results
50 far as safety IS concerned, Chicago
Inter Ocean. Jan. |. 1872.
IL r NAy:II: NJ n Al Z