The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-23

The above is a newspapers best ef-
fort to make a noise
You don't know what It Is altho
you have heard it many times and
very clearly and distinctly of late
It represents the standard train
crossing whistle, which, because of
careful and exacting effort on the
part OF locomotive engineers. Is hav-
ing tendency to reduce crossing &C.
cidents.
So says Isaiah Hale, safety superin-
tendent of the Santa Fe system, who
points out that this is one way the
Santa Fe has of reducing such acci-
dents and who declares 80 per cent OF
all accidents, common to railroads,
can be eliminated IL people will only
think.
Standard Crossing Whistle.
The standard crossing whistle is
supposed to last nine seconds, and If
YOU live far from the railroad track
and want to know how 1t goes Just
make a noise and cut it up according
to the above scale, taking two seconds
each for the first two blasts, one sec
ond each for the last two. with a
second between each one. The figures
represent seconds and show just how
you can imagine you are locomotive
engineer.
This whistle has been in use by the
railroads for many years, but before
the advent OF motor cars the rule
wasn't always observed. At that time
there was little or no travel on many
/ highways and naturally engineers zen
into the habit of just giving the
run together like, and occasionally
they wouldn't whistle at all.
A Protection to the Public.
The railroads are protecting the
public at most of the main highways
by special signaling devices, but as
these cannot be established at all
crossings. the railroads found that
with the big increase in traffic, Wnlch
the automobile has brought, a cross
ing whistle with a meaning was nee
essary, a real genuine cause Tor
alarm, and one which the pubic
would become so familiar with there
would be no doubt of its tnterpreta"
ton. Therefore, engineers were ad-
yised to use the whistle, and during
the past few months the Santa Fe mas
! staged a campaign among its en-
gineers with excellent results
To prove it, Hale not only can snow
| by his records that the number OF
crossing accidents are being held to
minimum, but he invites any one IN
/ Topeka to listen any evening or morn
ing, when the conditions of the at
mosphere will permit the sound TO
carry best, and follow the approach
and departure of its passenger trains
l OIe Cdn near every ClOooAA5 N--7~A~
from the time the trains pass Pauline
until they get down the other side
/ of TecUmseh, ne says. and each one
4 of them is clear and distinct showing
! that the engineers are using the nine
seconds whistle according to orders
No Excnse for Accidents.
with this whistle there is no ex-
cuse for a large part of our crossing
| accidents" says Hale, because It is a
distinct alarm giving notice that a
train is approaching and II adhered
4 to by the public many an accident can
I be avoided. With the crossing signs
and this whistle everyone is protected
] except the blind and deaf and they
should not be allowed to use the high
ways alone"
Within a short time after it occurs,
| a Geographic account of every acct
/ dent on the Santa Fe system is in the
/ safety superintendent offices Ac-
cording to these records, three out of
1 every ten accidents between trains and
motor cars. are caused by the motor
| cars running into trains, and half of
| them are either due to that source
! or from motor cars being stalled on
1 the track.
/ These records also show that per-
sons in car alone seldom meet with
a train accident Almost without ex-
/ ception. where cars have been driven
Z against moving trains, the cars had
several occupants This shows, accord
4 ing to Hale. that IL a person is alone
I they pay more attention to where they
are going than number Of them who