Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1877 — A Machine Switchman. [ARTICLE]

A Machine Switchman.

About as curious a railway signal as we have ever seen has recently been patented by Mr. J. D. Hughson, of Prairie City, 111. This inventor believes that, where an engineer might feil to heed the indication of a semaphore or some other purely mechanical apparatus, he wduld be sure to notice the frantic gestures of a man posted beside the track. As men of flesh and blood cannot probably be found who would be willing to stand" on a high pedestal for indefinite periods of time and wave their arms at exact intervals, a machine man has been contrived whp flourishes a flag, hammers a bell, and displays a changeable light in his hat with unfailing regularity. The man owes his movements to clock-work operated by weights, and the latter are controlled by electricity. When a train passes it moves a little stop beside the track, which, by a mechanical connection, shifts a switch so that the current from a main line of tele-graph-wire is diverted into a short circuits An electro-magnet inside the machineman is thus excited, and as it attracts its armature the latter releases a detent. The weights then descend, and the man waves bis flag and pounds his bell, while the light on his hat changes to red. When the train has passed the current is broken from the short circuit, but the man keeps on his motions until a wheel in his interior completes its revolution, and thus allows the detents once more to engage. Ot course the time during whifcii ho waves his flag, etc., is long chough to allow the train that has passed to travel a considerable distance.—-*sfc*«7Ut/?e American. ■ WT 1 'i ! —Here is an English public school boy’s meditation-on the Subject of “ Conceit.” “ Conceit is 4 very bad thing* 80me people are conceited about their name, family pedigree or anything else!. This also is conceit. Woolen-also: are mostly conceited, also about their hair, eyes ahd teeth, and anything else. Conceit is also very had.” —Boston Isn’t to blame because the Hoosac tunnel doesn’t pay. Bhewas willing to dig the hole ana take her chances. —Flies that have lain dormant all winter are coming out and shakin^themselves. The population of Texas is 1,750,000.