Accounted For.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 52

Accounted For.

An incident in illustration of how easy it is for humanity to be mistaken even in the face of' what seems to be auricular proof is related of * certain railway. One of the superintendents of that line had j heard numerous complaints thab at a certain crossing the sigaals of the locomotive were not given. Engine drivers were repeatedly warned, although they protested that, they gave the eignalf. The complaints stiil came in, wher«upon the official determined to learnfor himself whether or nob the enginemen were telling the ■ truth. , He stationed himself in a suitable position and saw a locomotive approach and pass the crossing, and never heard a. signal. Ife happened, however, that one of the company's detectives, unknown to the spperintendent, had stationed himself on the locomotive, and at the crossing himself pulled the whistle Talye. When the eoperinteudent was ready to write

the discharge of the guilty cngiue-driver, he •was met by the evidence of tbe detective. An investigation followed, when it was found that at a certain point ne%r the crossicg the puff of steam which followed the blowing of the wbittls could be seen each time as the loccmitive approached tbe crossing, but not a sound could be heard. An expert who was called to give an opinion of the situation recommended the removal of a piece of forest near the crossing, which was done, whereupon each signal of the whielli was distinctly audible where no s.'Und bad been beard before. *•

It was one of thosa fieaka in acoustics which the most advanced scientists are uuable to expliin.