HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16353, 16 February 1921, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

RAILWAY SIGNALLING AND SAFETY- ' Colonel W. Pringle, in a report ir* the British Ministry ot Transport on an accident which occurred at lx>slock Junction in July last, raises the question of the height at which running Eignal arms and lights should be placed above the track. It may bo recalled that through a collision between the engines of passenger train?, two people were killed, two subsequently injuries received- ton paesenjtsrbTvoi e detained in licapital ififc- were i slightly irjmfed. llie accident, sa>» 1 Colon t*] Tringle, was due to the failure I ot an engine-man. after receiving the <; right away *’ signal from the guard. | to observe the position of the fixed sig- * nal. Practice in the pest on railways ! generally wa« to provide a long view !bv considerable elevation of fligSfds. I says Colonel Pringle. In misty weather J the advantage of elevated signals is largely lust: but the serious tfibadvaiiI tage in the practice is that in fogey * weather the high signal is frequently out of sight, even at short range. As a, general rule, adds the Colonel, is better practice* to place tunning signal arms and lights at no greater height than is sufficient to ensure a good view by engine-men ot from 200 to 400 \ ards. MONTE CARLO AND THE Y.MC.A. Wp '?ro not Pussyfoots or Killjoys (which is as necessary to announce j the fact that Bobby Snencer was not an agricultural labnprcrV but we shall not. don mourning if the rumour is verified that the Yankee® are buying irp Atonic Carlo in order to turn it into n winter resort on Y.M.C.A. Bne* (says the ‘‘Saturday Review w ). Th« stories of suicides, murders and mysterious disappearances are no mere incentions of -i.c sensational novelist- Phe Prince of Monaco lerinudv nuspett during the war. and hia dominions have been too long r. plague spot. Stillj tin* place itself is beautiful, and an eminent; Victorian remarked, dees a great deal of credit to the devil.

“GLASS ROADS.” “ There will probably be about ! 2 000,000 motor vehicles of all l.ind? m | thi9 country five years hence, as against j the present-day estimate of 750.000.’’ declared Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, in lecturing on ** The Future of Road ! Transport ” at the Institute of Transi nort. Looking into the future. Lo~d Montagu said that roads would be | made of some nermar.ent or setr.i-pcr-manent material, perhaps glass or conj crete. Speed limits as we know them ! would be abolished, and on specially j made roads the average sneed of pa>senI ger-carrying motors would be equal to, if not in excess of. average railway passenger speeds to-day. THE BIGGEST KEY IN LONDON. There must he millions of keys in London, and it would be interesting to know which is the largest. The biggest T liare seen in London is the key of ri>e Temple l hurch. ('says a writer m rho London “Evening Star '**). This huge thing is over 14£in long, stem and handle, without including the wards. It ha-’ been in constant use since the Reformation, and probably long before. If the verger used to carry the key about with him, it must, have been n wonderful safeguard. Most people would think twice before offending anyone who had f»ueh a weapon. In design the key is quite artistic, and does not look as large a? it really i»-

PEAT AS LOCOMOTIVE FUEL. Interesting trials to test the possibilities of peat, as fuel for 1 coo motives have, been in progress for some months on several railroads in. Sweden. The reports so far show favourable results. One privately-owned railroad in*southern Sweden. 256 mi let* in length, has found peat so practical for steam, purposes that the management believe* the road can dispense entirely with. coal. The State railways have likewis.e been testing peat for steam purposes, with! good "results, and have on «. limited scale adopted it for fuel. For some years the State railways have been operating a factory for the production: o: peat powder, which is said to be an excellent, fuel. In Sweden, where there are 30.000.000 acres of peat bogs, with an overage depth of 6.6 ft, tho substitution of peal for ooal would add enormously to the national wealth. Every acre of peat bog yields nearly 10C0 tons of prepared peat. COMEDY' OF A TANK. A lank given to "Windsor has been a source of trouble ever since it arrived. It was placed in a children’s playground, where it served as a huge- toy for the more adventurous spirits among the youngsters. Then the borough smote vor, r.«j a measure of economy, sold fhe engine for £2O. but. did not. first oi" all consult the council. At a recent meeting the council decided io buy hack the engine for £2O- and then the question arose a? to what should be done with it. One member said the frost would crack the cylinder of the engine. Another sugarsied that it should he placed in the Town Hall. r>d »t third proTsosed that it should be sold again, and the money invested to keep the tank in repair. Neither suggestion was accepted, so that Windsor’s tank will once again be complele. and. in order to keep the youth of the borough at respectful distance. « commit toe is going to consider the question of erecting a fence round the trophy. CHINESE BUSHRANGEIE It is interesting to note that Australia possessed only one Chinaman with bushraticing proclivities. In the late sixties. Kam Poo. who had been vainTy trying lifs Tuck on the Mud gee diggings, thought to try his hand with a gun and black mask, so ho started :t bushranging patrol of the Coonabarabran district. But his career was destined to b‘- short. Trooper Ward, set to track this highwayman, soon came tip with his quarry, and called upon the outlaw to surrender. A bullet was the Chinaman’s reply, and the *'onsla bio was shot dead. Then Troopers Todd- M'Mahon and Burns, together with a reliable black tracker, swore to pursue the outlaw till they eventually ran him to earth. Tthey cornered the fugitive in some shrubby country, after a long chase, and. m a tierce fight, the Chinaman was .overpowered, handcuffed and taken to Bathurst gaol, ran him to earth. They cornered the that old, historical town.