Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-04-17
TO EQUIP CARS
WITH A SAFETY
Appliance VIII Be Installed to Stop
Them If MOtOrman Falls at
Post.
MASTER MECHANIC INVENTOR
John Sutherland Originates Idea to
Guard Against Accidents on
Tr0lieys.

Have you ever sat on a street car
as it was proceeding down a big hill
and wondered what would be your
fate should the motorman be strick-
en- at his post?
You imagine that it would mean
death or at least fatal injuries. But
soon you will need have no fear on
that score because all of the cars
of the Tri-City Railway company
will be equipped with an appliance
which will stop the car should the
motorman fall at his post.
The invention promises to revo-
lutioniZe the manufacture of street
car appliances. It has been perfect
>ed by John Sutherland, master me-
chanic of the Tri-City Railway &
Light company.
This device is an adaptation of
the dead mans grip" Whenever
the hand of the motorman leaves
the controller handle the car auto
matically stops. This makes acc1-
dents resulting from carelessness or
sudden sickness of motorman alb
solutely impossible.
Car No 236 of the Tri-City line
given a trial trip over the Fourth
avenue lines. Testing the operation
of the invention were President B.
II. Denman and Vice President and
General Manager J. G. Huntoon of
the Tri-City Railway company, the
inventor, Mr.. Sutherland and a mo-
tOrman.
Officials Enthusiastic.
The device brought the car to
stop whenever the motorman's hand
left the controller handle. SO en-
thusiastic are the officials of the
company that a car is now beng
equipped with the invention for per-
manent use on the Muscatine lines.
1t will be put in operation next
month. The device will be given q
thorough trial under all conditions
there and if it continues to show the
same results first all the Muscatine
cars and then all those in Daven-
port, Rock Island, Moline and East
Moline will be equipped with it.
The engineering department of
the Tri-City Railway company is
now preparing drawings of the new
invention and as soon as completed
they will be sent to Washington, d.
c., with application for a patent.
Mr. Sutherland has one other in
vention to his credit, circuit
breaker" which he patented while
in England in 1899. He sold this pat
ent to Veritys Bros. of Manchester,
England. 1t has since been put in
operation all over the world and is
used extensively in power houses in
America and Great Britain.
Sutherland Device Cheap.
At the present time the Tri-City
lines are equipped with the straight
air brake system. The Cedar Rapids
and Mason City lines, also part of
the United Light 6, Railways sys-
TEN. are using the Westinghouse
safety car control equipment on all
of their one man cars
While this equipment is efficient
the original cost on each car is 1892
and the cost of installation 500.
The original cost Of the Sutherland
Seyice is 1920 and cost of instaIla-
ton S26. It necessitates three times
less the amount of piping. The cost
figures above include compressor.
tanks. valves, governor and piping
Mr.. Sutherland has been working
on his invention for the past three
months. Both President Denman
and General Manager Huntoon of
the local traction company are en-
thusiastic over its prospects. It is
the present plan of the inventor to
organize a stock company for the
Of the device.
Is Practical Appliance.
The first safety car control an
paratus went into use in 1915. The