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Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 48, 20 July 1908, Page 2

Two passengers in an express fell into a heated argument over the action of the vacuum brake. “It’s the inflation of the tube that stops the train,” said the first traveller. “Wrong, wrong !” shouted the second. “It's the output of the exhaustion.”

So they wrangled for an hour ; and then, on the train’s arrival, they agreed to submit the matter for settlement to the engine-driver. The driver, leaning condescendingly from his cab, listened with an attentive frown to tho two travellers' statement of their argument. Then he smiled, shook his head, and said:

“Well, gentlemen, ye’re both wrong about the workin’ of the vacuum brake. Yet it’s very simple and easy to understand. It works like this. When we want to stop tho train we just turn this here tap, and then we Dll the pipe with vacuum.”