Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-05-26
SIGNALS In THE OPEN
EXPERT ADVOCATES THEIR
TRANSPARENCY TO CAB.
Engineers All Too Frequently, Through
No Fault of Theirs, Fail to Inter
pref Correctly the Signs Meant
for Their Guidance.


AS matter of justice to the operat-
lng officers of our great railroad sys-
TENS the public should be made more
familiar with the block signal problem
for the prevention of collisions. If
they were better informed there would
be less unfair criticism, is the point
made in a communication to the New
York Times.
The recent fatal wreck on the New
that preceded it few weeks ago on
the New Haven line both occurred on
railroads that have spent enormous
sums of money to provide modern sig
nal systems to prevent just such catas
trophies. They not only are entitled to
credit for keeping up to date in pro
viding these safety precautions, but
the public should also appreciate the
fact that the railroad world has been
searching diligently for years for
method Of eliminating the human ele-
ment so far as possible in the opera
ton of these safety devices.
For years many minds have been
working, and many are still working,
to develop a block system that would
place the signals in the cab Of the loco
motive instead of alongside of the
track, where the engineer often fails
correctly to interpret them because Of
fog or storm or of some mental or
physical failure of his own.
They have also, through their signal
engineers and inventors generally,
been trying to find an automatic train
stop that would be safe and reliable,
and which would provide a service
application" instead of an emergency
application Of the brakes.
1t took many years to develop the
automatic brake and the automatic
coupler. 1t has taken many years to
develop the block system to its present
state of efficiency, and it is only a
matter, perhaps, of a short time until
American inventive genius will trans
fer the trackside block signals to the
engine cab and provide the engine with
a thoroughly reliable and workable
train-stop that will meet all the re-
quirements of safety laid down by the
signal authorities.
One such signal and stop is now
being tested out on one of the noun
tain railroads of the Pacific coast and
is claimed to be an unqualified success.
The government inspection is about to
be made, and there may be other in
ventions now undergoing tests that
will solve the problem in a different
way. Whether or not the new prin-
ciple applied in the California test sue
ceeds or not, one thing seems certain
the problem Of removing the hazard
of the human factor in seeing and
obeying block signals, which has
caused such a waste Of life on our rail-
roads, cannot go long unsolved in this
day and age.
It is a common verdict that so long
as we have to depend upon the human
mind to carry out safety precautions.
and to see and obey signals in the
open, just so long we will have rail-
road wrecks. This conclusion is sup
ported by the fact that these human
lapses not only sometimes happen to
apparently alert and reliable men, but
engineers on duty have been stricken
with apoplexy, and there are many
cases where they have died at the
throttle.
The vital importance, therefore, of
developing an automatic block signal
that can be displayed in the engine
cab, and which will also stop the train
If the engineer does not obey the sig
nal, and which will record such fail
ure, must be self-evident to everyone.
Even with the present signal systems,
if thoroughly reliable automatic stop
were provided which would stand the
required tests of the railroad experts,
tremendous advance would be made
in solving this bathing life-saving prob
lem.
Until this is found, and the railroads
have had a chance to test and apply 1t,
it would become all of us to be dis
Greet in criticizing the roads that have
already installed these modern and ex-
pensive devices to promote the safety
Of the travelling public.