Show TRAIN ROBBERIES the way train robbers are getting in their work of late must be decidedly interesting to both express and railway companies the arizona proceeding might not be considered of much importance inasmuch inaam ucb as most moat of the holdups hold bold ups were captured and the rest probably will be bb and when they come to trial it to Is not likely they will be given further opportunity to interfere with railway trains since such a R crime in that territory is rewarded by banging the convicted parties but the california and virginia exploits are of a nature not only to attract special attention but to occasion alarm it has been suggested that the financial depression by throwing many men out of regular employment has led them to such desperate straits as to engage in the holdup hold bold up business busi busin nebs erse but the cust character acter of the crimes is such as to indicate that they were committed by persons who prefer that employment to the best beat kind of a job where there is honest work and when comparatively big fo fortunes tunes are to be secured as easily as in the proceedings in the states named there always are found men reckless and villainous enough to make the venture the inefficiency of the defense made against the robbers iu in both oases cases is a most regrettable feature ic seems remarkable that in view of the sup posed precautions precaution a taken by railway and express companies to guard the treasure carried by them their employee emp loyes should be rendered so 80 powerless in the hands of the sall number dumber of robbers making the attack with the advantage that every express messenger should have of a courage ous sense of duty steady nerves nerve quick hand band and eye and the covering afforded him ty by the flimsiest flims iest express oar car it would appear that oat even when the d doors pore are thrown wide to lo the highwaymen there ought to be a certainty that the first of them and almost acy number following folio wing would be met by the cra graphing phing of well directed bullets into their carcasses such a reception would quickly divert any attention they may have been giving to engineers or firemen and it also seems inconsistent that when trainmen are brought in a condition under threats to plead for an express car to be opened provi provision slun should not be made tor for the messenger niese enKer to take advantage of his ambush to come to the relief of his hie the railways affected ought to find in their experience a suggestion for a more tb thorough orough system than one that permits a train to be stopped for a considerable sid erable period without notice being conveyed to the nearest station inde pendent of an any on the part of tra trainmen lumen this la eastly accomplished on some gome railways rail waya now by what Is IB known as aa the block system PP of signalling sign alling in connection with an electric recorder the general idea of this combined system la in that at each mile point along the lilethe line the passage of a train over the place operates auto mat manually leally to display a signal to all following trains traina that one la Is on that particular block or mile when the next mile is entered upon the line closing signal la is extended there while by the same operation the former sig nal is IB made to show an open track this effectually effectual jy prevents rear end collisi collisions otia for no two trains can be on the same mile at once unless by going against the signal but the feature that would be valuable in the case of accident to a train or its being stopped by robbers rob bera tit is that by an electric device the passage of every train over a mile point to is indicated at a central station elation for the district at the instant it is made with as ae perfect accuracy as the rise and fall of temperature both as to duration and extent are recorded by the indicators io in use uee by our weather bureau thus when there is a delay of two ml minutes notes on any mile the knows exactly when and on what block lo it to is and on roads which use this tern tem it to la the usual rule that trains delayed ten minutes cannot proceed until they report and unless 9 ucb such report is in made by signalling sign alling assistance is for warded to the point of trouble tto uble under such a regulation the trainmen assailed by robbers would know that in ten minutes at the bostl aid of a character to frighten the highwaymen would be on the way to the scene anti and thus would be afforded encouragement and safety to a vastly greater extent than now with the success success that has attended recent robb robberies erlei there will come a sense of security to those inclined to such crimes unless something of an opposite nature occurs officers can not be expected to overtake the perpetrators of the deed except by long and tedious work and in many oases cases the odds are decidedly against them the express and railway companies will have to add to their precautions to confirm a sense of security with the public it may be that recent events will lead to this thie in some instances at least |