The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-10
TRY FOR MELLEN'S PRIZE
In All 2,S16 Inventors Are Entered fin
 Composition For Automatic Stop.


 President Charles s. Mellen's offer of S10,OOO for the best automatic stopping and speed control device which would safely arrest trains dis regarding fixed signals, expired on July 1. On that date 2,816 persons in all had entered the competition. The applicants represent every coun- try, including China, Japan and Aus tralia- Only 704 of the applicants thus far have submitted plans in re- ply to the circular giving the condi- ttonss and requirements of the compe- tition. This does not eliminate the others because the conditions pre- scribe that to be acceptable a device must be adopted for general use by either the New Haven, the Pennsy1va- mia. or the New York Central roads within the years 1913, 1914 or 1915." Consequently any inventor who got his name on the list of applicants or before July 1 has the right of quail flying until Jan. 1, 1916.
 One of the reasons underlying President Me1Ien's offer was the fact that at the present time there is no automatic stopping device in regular operation on any of the steam surface roads of this country, though some roads are conducting experirn enta1 tests. The New Haven, however, IS the only road which has thus far of- IGTOQ a reward to inventors TOT SuCn a device. The stopping devices oper- ated on some elevated and subway lines, notably in the New York sub way, while effective on such lines, have not been designed to meet some of the conditions required by steam surface lines, one of these being the ability of the device to work under all weather conditions and to be 1In- pervious to either sleet or snow.
 In inaugurattng such a competition the New Haven. has practically taken up the work left unfinished by Train Control Board of the Interstate Com rnerce Commission, which went out of existence last year. This board, ap- pointed in 1908, tested 20 of the most mer1torious of the many automatic stop devices submitted. While it did not find any which exactly met it's re- Quirements, it announced that some might in the near future be developed possibly to the point where the rail roads might use them. Inasmuch as the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission would be nec- essary before the New Haven would fell Justified in putting stopping de- vice in regular operation, the require ments laid down by the Train Control board have been adopted as we'll as eight additional ones made necessary by the peculiar conditions of the New Haven lines.
 Of the 704 devices of which plans and models have been submitted thus far, it is announced that not one has met condition No. 1, which reads: t"The apparatus should be SO con strIrcted that the removal or failure of any essential part would cause the display of a stop signal and the ap- -plication of the train brakes, and if electric circuits are employed, they should be so designated that the oc- cIrrence of a. break, cross or ground or a failure Of the source of energy in any of the circuits, should cause the display of stop signal and the application of the train brakes
 A few of the devices already sub nnitted might be perfected, it is said so as to meet this requirement., and no doubt this will be done. A very large percentage of the devices have failed to enbody any speed control feature, also one of the conditions. AL so many have failed to meet the re- Quirement- that the device should work under snow, ice. s1eet, or freezing conditions
 All sorts of ideas are represented in the models and plans, Most of them show that the inventors while intent on fulfilling some of the eighteen re- regarded others, particularly that one providing that the failure of the de- vice to woFaz, such as might be caused, for instance, by a person tampering with 1t, would of itself cause it to stop the train.
 Despite the fact that not all of the requirements have been met the rail- road will proceed at once to test the more meritorious of the devices sub naitted. These tests will begin the middle of this month and will take place On the division between Hart ford and Newington. The two auto ma4ic stop systems coming the near est to all of the requirements will be tested first One is the invention of Gene Webb and is the property of the International Signal Company. The other is the invention Of an engineer of the Union Switch and Signal Com pany. These will be tested out prac- ticaT1y at the same time by the Lack aiwanna road. Both make use of an electric current picked up from a third rail. The tests of these and other systems submitted may take a year, as it is necessary to see. how they meet all weather conditions. A locomotive will be equipped with each device and operated over the stretch of track selected and on which the stop has been installed.
 Obviously no award can be made until the expiration of the year 1915, as until then every inventor who has entered the competition has a chance to so perfect his device as to make it acceptable. The reward, under the conditions announced, is to be paid on the order of the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Massachusetts Rail- road Commission and the Connecticut Public Utilities Commission.
 EIor Horne and NFel7ioaV TTsa