Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1912 — Lots of Trouble With Broken Ralls During Last Few Days. [ARTICLE]

Lots of Trouble With Broken Ralls During Last Few Days.

The sudden drop in the temperature Saturday caused a lot of trouble for the railroads and It is possible that the block system now in vogue on the Monon railroad saved a number of wrecks. Three broken rails were found Saturday night between Pleasant Ridge and Rensselaer. The red signal drops whenever a rail breaks and the signals were out of condition Saturday night and a call was made for Harry Mason, of Monon, the maintainer between that town and this. He was routed out of bed at 10:10 o’clock and started to come here on his speeder, but it would not work on account of the frost on the rails and he footed it all the way here* arriving at the depot at 2:30 o’clock. He had located three breaks between here and Pleasant Ridge and Section Boss Chris Koepkey and his gang were called out at 3 o’clock in the morning to make the repairs. Mr. Mason did. not make the trip without suffering greatly and when he arrived at the depot his face was frozen severely. He rubbed it with snow* and with the aid of Elmer Wilcox, the night agent, got. it thawed out, but there is a big streak clear around his face to show where the frost had settled. Mr. Mason was over again today and located another broken rail or two. Passenger train No. 31, due here at 4:40 a. m. from the north, was derailed at 71st street in Chicago Sunday morning and did not reach Rensselaer until about 11:30. Other trains have been quite late. The 10:05 train from the south today was more than 3 hours late. . 8 The block signal system is almost a dead sure thing against wrecks. If a rail breaks aiid spreads apart 3-16ths of an inch, the signal is* dropped against travel. If a box car is left setting so that the end hangs onto the main track from a switch, the adverse signal is given, while one train can not pass into a block that is not clear without a violation of orders.