The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-17

Spingleton.
On the part of the company, we
believe they can give better service
by keeping the waiting public in
formed as to the time trains may be
expected.
If a train is due at S:1S and they
know at Pocatello that it will reach
Blackfoot not soone than S:4S, and
it is marked on the bulletin at
Blackfoot, "S:4S," and at $3.50 it is
known that it will not arrive at
Blackfoot until $50, the waiting
public at Blackfoot is entitled to be
informed at the earliest moment
that it is practical to give them the
new marking. But that does not APP
pear to be done. The public watch
ing the bulletins at Blackfoot is kept
momentarily~ expecting the train when
it is still standing in the yards at
P~ocatello waiting for some other
train to arrive there. The travelling
public have been studying this mat
ter until there is a deep conviction
that due attention is not given to
informing them. And the writer
never sees a train marked late with
out wondering if it is not being de-
layed at McCammon or Idaho Falls
or some other town by sentimental
folks kissing their friends goodbye at
the steps of the car when they ought
to be getting on, and the conductor
asking them to please stand aside
and let others pass.
Any thing that decreases the dan
ger or that increases the efficiency
of operation of the road will be con
sidered by the Safety First commit
tee, and the above subjects are pass
ed on to the public and to the com
mittee for their consideration.
At the last meeting of the COM
mittee, twenty one subjects were dis
cussed, some of them referring to
technical or mechanical matters
which only railroad men would I'M
derstand or be interested sin, and
nine relate to matters in which the
public may be interested, so We ex-
plain them briefly. 49,.
When the grindstones are being
used in the machine shops, the
wornout particles flying of
into space, may be inhaled or may in
jure the eyes of the operator, and
glass shields have been considered
to prevent this. Tests have shown
that such shields are easily broken
where so much steel is used about
them, and the water from the grind
stone OF emery wheel gets them dir
ty so the operator has to keep stop
ping to clean them to enable them
to e through the shields. A
sheet iron casing enclosing three
quarters of the grindstone with the
opening at the right position, guides
the operator to hold the tool that
is being sharpened, in the right
place to throw the flying particles
away from him, and such shields
were recommended by the commit
tee. ';'."
The Il sparks from brake shoes
under the box cars, have been con-
| sidered in their relation to explos-
ives carried within the cars, but the
committee decided that If the. spec
ifications of the American Rail-
way Association and the Inter-
State Commerce Commission regard
ing the kind of cars that explosives
shall be shipped in are followed
that brake shoes need not be con-
sidered.
How a freight train and a passen-
ger train shall meet and pass at
small stations or sidings and still
enable people to get to the passen-
ger train without going under or
owe the freight train were consid-
cred, and it was decided that the
crew of the freight train must pro-
vide the way for the passengers to
reach the passenger train in safety
by whatever means seem best at the
time.
Brass rods or handle rails by
windows in vestibules on a new pat
tern of steel car was discussed and
referred to a committee to study.
Time cards of the future may
show the weight Of engines permits
sable on branch lines, as a safe
guard against too heavy an engine
being used for the bridges on the
line indicated.
No satisfactory cattle guard has
ever been invented. Those with pits
take fire easily from sparks and Gin
der from the locomotives. The sur
face guard is like a huge crater and
is dangerous. The committee will