Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-28
YnnE. NHoIso AnoIr1 l

years collisions have gained an undesir
able superiority over deyailments in this
respect. Thus. in the year ending June
80, 1911, the last absolutely authentic re-
port including all cases. there were nine
ty-three passengers killed and 3672 in
jured in collisions. while for the same
period there were only forty eight pas
sengers killed and 1854 injured by de-
railments.
While there were more derailments
than collisions during that period-there
being 5.6O5 collisions and $3.50 derail-
ments-it is to be observed that the num-
Der of collisions is rapidly increasing
And this increase is not only in the alb
solute number of collisions. but also as
compared to the number of derailments.
This is natural increase. due to the
fact that the passenger traffic of the
country is increasing at an astonishing
rate. dozen years ago the number of
passengers carried annually upon the
-eilroads of the country was less. than
TX hundred million. Two years ago
N years after-it was billion, that IS.
~e thousand million an increase in pas
rHger traffic that was almost double that
isf the former period. This increase in
lsc last decade has been vastly dispro-
i,"rtionate to the increase in the railroad
mileage, which has increased barely 10
per cent in that time.
These figures mean, therefore, that the
railroads of the country are being COM
nelled to haul many more passengers
than heretofore over the same tracks
this means a corresponding increase in
the number of trains and a correspond
rig lessening of the interval between
nc running of trains-which means a
responding increase Of the danger of
collision.
And this. in turn, means that the dam
cor to the travelling public from col
.jSions is daily increasing INCREASING with
re birth Of every child. with the ar
siIal of every immigrant who will furnish
6dtional passengers which will compel
- already crowded roads to run more
trains in closer proximity and hence IN
: constantly increasing danger, unless
iiness the system of the block is
,5opted by all the roads in the country
n hat, then, is the block system?
in explanation, let it first be remem-
,;sred that the only way to keep trains
rom colliding is to keep them apart
hat sounds silly, In a measure, but 1t
s the fundamental idea in all systems
lat have to do with the running of
.ii-h-speed trains with safety.
Now, there are two great factors in
tais matter Of keeping trains apart:
one is the keeping OF them apart by
intervals of time; the other by intervals
of space.
The first factor Is the one upon which
the old method of running trains was
operated That was the system upon
which trains were run in the infancy OF
railroading, before the assistance of tele-
graph and telephone and other electric
aids was possible. When railroad trains
were first coming in common use in
the forties Morse was still importuning
Congress for a twenty f1ve-thousand-d
lar appropriation to prove the feasibility
of sending message over a wire by
electricity.
Accordingly, as the railway train itself
was the speediest thing, there was no
way of anticipating it by signals ahead.
Therefore, the time-interval was adopted
as the method OF moving trains. 1t was,
in practical operation, about like this:
train was sent out from a given point
al a certain hour and minute. The speed
of the train was known-or supposed to
be known-by the train dispatcher. He
allowed a certain time interval which he
considered amply sufficient to permit
that train to get well out of the way be-
fore he dispatched another train over
the same track in the same direction.
Then he started this second train-and.
in the old days, trusted to luck that no
accident would delay the first one SO as
crashing in upon 1t
After the invention OF the telegraph
the system of time interval was much
improved by the communication between
stations. A train dispatcher. after send
Ing out train No /. and waiting for, say
ten minutes and then sending out train
No. on its heels. would then wait until
he had heard by telegraph from the first
station down the line some ten miles
for news of the first train Probably
likewise. he would wait for news of the
second train. In his office was a chart
on which the position of each train was
accurately represented. Sometimes this
train position was by pegs or pins. some
a vertical chart
At all events. the train dispatcher d.
rected the movement of every train by
telegraph and by the time they ought to
take to run given distance. Every
movement and meeting place was i'm
mediately directed from his desk
But the whole system was based upon
a train taking certain time to run a
certain distance; and therein was the
weakness of the system. For after a
train had started from a station. If, for
any cause 1t had to stop. there was al
ways imminent danger of another train
colliding in the rear. Provisions were
made against this by strict orders that
the instant train halted from any cause
a fiagman should be dispatched to a
sufficient distance to the rear to enable
him to halt any approaching train.
But this rendered every accident to
train on the road a menace to every
other train within any appreciable prox-
unity. More, 1t placed the safety of all
trains entirely upon the reliability Of
the rear fagman. Not only on his re-
liability, but also upon his Judgment as
to how far he should. go back to flag
approaching trains. Should anything
happen to this fiagman. or should his
judgment be in fault, then disaster fol-
lowed.
That was the system upon which trains
were originally run upon all railroads.
And that is the system upon which