Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 197, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1911 — GUIDE TO ENGINEER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GUIDE TO ENGINEER

EXPLANATION OF SYSTEM OF RAILROAD “FIREWORKS." Torpedoes and Fusees Used as Signals to the Ear and Eye—One of the Best Protections Yet Devised. “‘Pop, pop,’ or perhaps a single •pop,’ distinct, like that of a

giant firecracker, heard not only on the Fourth of July, but on every day In the year, Sundays included—what did it mean?” writes a correspondent of St Nicholas. “And on almost any

night as I look out of my window I see the edge of the wood or the fields lighted up by red or yellow fireworks. Why this strange llumination? “As all these queer happenings took place on the railroad a few rods from my house I made Inquiries of the railroad officials, and here are some interesting facts about the use of these curious ‘fireworks.’ General Superintendent B. R. Pollock of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad explained as follows: ■. “‘Our rules provide for the use of detonators (commonly known as torpedoes) as audible signals and of fuses as visible signals. These, torpedoes are attached to the top of the rail on the engineer’s side of the track by two small flexible metal straps, which are easily bent around the ball of the rail and hold the topedoes securely in place until exploded by the first train passing over the track. J “ ‘The explosion of one torpedo is a signal to stop, the explosion of two to reduced speed and look out for a stop signal. The fusees are of similar con-struction-to the well known roman candle used for fireworks celebration except that they bum a steady flame without .expies tons. A. sharp icon.gpjke ■ at the bottom end will usually stick in the ground or in the crossties when thrown from the rear of a train and holds the fusee in an upright position,, where it is more plainly visible. “*A fusee must be lighted and left by the flagman whenever a train is junning on the time of another train or behind its own time and under drcircumstances which call for such protection. A fusee on or near the track burning red must not be passed. When burning yellow the train may proceed with caution when the way is seen and known to be clear.' Standard fusees bum red for three minutes, and yellow for seven minutes, and can be seen for quite a distance. “You will gather from the above explanation that the red glare of a flaming fusee on or near the track warns the approaching engineer that a preceding train has passed over his track less than three minutes ahead of him, and under no circumstances must he pass a fusee while it is burning red. When the flame turns to yellow, he may proceed with caution, only as the way is seen and knofcn to be clear, keeping in mind that when the fusee changed from red to yellow he was exactly three minutes behind a preceding train which may have stopped within a short distance, or may be proceeding at an unusually slow rate of speed.’ ’’