Las Vegas optic., 1913-08-14
WHAT'S HAPPENING
ON THE RAILROADS

ley and san Bernardino, there is no
longer any doubt. The activity OF
surveying crews in the Temecula
country, it is believed, is evidence.
crasshoppers Delay Train
A Rock Island train was delayed for
40 minutes on July 80, near Ford,
Kas., by large number Of grasshop-
pers that had blown onto the tracks
at a deep cut. The trainmen were
obliged to scoop them or the tracks
with shovels and to sand the rails
before the train could proceed.
Wireless Not impossible
l.. M. Jones, superintendent of tel
egraph of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe railway, who has been in.
vestigating the practicability of wire
less telegraph for railroad purposes
is not optimistic on the subject. How
ever, as wireless telegraph still is in
the experimental stage, Mr.. Jones
would not be surprised to see it in
use on the railroads before he quits
the game
"We have given the subject a great
deal of thought, Mr.. Jones said, "and
our conclusion is that wireless tele
graph is not practicable at this time
for two. reasons. First, the expense
of installation and maintenance is toe
heavy and, second, the inventors have
thus far been unable to protect wire
less messages from outside electric
and atmospheric influence. If the
preesnt wireless system were in use
on railroad, an operator would
never know whether he had train
order straight or not.
1--WE lately figured on wireless tele
graph between Point Bolliver am
Galveston, but gave it up on account
Of the heavy cost, and because wire
less messages from ships on the the
Gulf of Mexico and from other places
interfered constantly with messages
between Bolilver and Galveston.
"The wireless telegraph is so sim
pie that a child can handle it. A few
days ago a ship at sea called its New
York office. The call was promptly
answered but the shore operator fin
ally admitted that he was boy in
Brooklyn who had a station which he
built himself His messages, sent fol
amusement, were as clear as those
from scientifically constructed sta
tion operated by'experts One can see
readily that it would not do to try to
run railroad with that sort of wire
less telegraph.
Il am watching with deep interest
some new experiments which the
Lackawanna railroad in Pennsylvania
is making. The Lackawanna people
are laboring to overcome the trouble
l have mentioned If they succeed
in doing SO, the wireless will revolu
tionize railroad telegraph But unit
these troubles are overcome, the rail
roads will stay with dots and dashes
and the telephone"
Through Sleep Service to Frisco
A new through sleeper service be
tween Kansas City and San francisco
has been installed by the Santa Fe
A sleeper has been attached to the
fast mail which leaves Kansas City
at Las in the morning and goes west
over the Belen cutoff. The car ar
rives at Amarillo, Tex. in the even
ing and lays over until morning. It
reaches San Francisco by way of AL
buquerque and Barstow. Eastbound,
the Belen cutoff is not used and the
service is through Topeka.
Bulletin ON 2s-Hour Law
The Atchison, Topeka Santa Fe
Railway company has issued a bulle-
tin about the enforcement of the 2S-
hour law for livestock in transit, show
ing the results of an investigation by
the United States bureau of animal
industry Of feeding, watering and rest
ing animals in course Of interstate
transportation.