St. Lucia.
_Railway Signals._--An effective communication from the guard to the
engineman, for the prevention of railway accidents, seems to be an
important desideratum, which has hitherto baffled the ingenuity of
philosophers. The only proposed plan likely to be adopted, is that of a
cord passing below the foot-boards, and placing the valve of the steam
whistle under the control of the guard. The trouble attending this
scheme, and the liability to neglect and disarrangement, render its
success doubtful. What I humbly suggest is, that the guard should be
provided with an independent instrument which would produce a sound
sufficiently loud to catch the ear of the engineman. Suppose, for
instance, that the mouth-piece of a clarionet, or the windpipe of a
duck, or a metallic imitation, were affixed to the muzzle of an air-gun,
and the condensed air discharged through the confined aperture; a shrill
sound would be emitted. Surely, then, a small instrument might be
contrived upon this principle, powerful enough to arrest the attention
of the engineer, if not equal to the familiar shriek of the present
whistle.
It is hoped that this hint will be followed up; that your publication
will sustain its character by thus providing a medium of
intercommunication for these worthies, who can respectively lay claim to
the titles of men of science and men of _letters_, and that some
experimenter "when found will make a _note_"--a stunning one.