t 
1878.] Continuous Railway Breaks, 15 
the experiments were made did not admit of their being 
applied to Clarke and Webb's chain break. The observa- 
tions made of several experiments with each of the other 
kinds of break gave the following average results 
1. Westinghouse Air Break . — The time occupied in applying 
the break from the engine to the rear vehicle was 
from ij to if seconds, whilst the time occupied in 
taking it off was from 3 to 6 seconds. 
2. Smith's Vacuum Break .— The time occupied in applying 
this break from the engine to the rear vehicle was 
from 4J to 5 seconds, whilst to take it off required 
about 24-f seconds. 
3. Barker's Hydraulic Break .— With this break, if a 
coupling breaks, the rear portion of the train is 
placed beyond control of the continuous break, and 
therefore the report on its operations cannot be given 
as an average, but must be quoted in detail 
“ First trial, from engine to fourteenth carriage, seconds 
to put on, 8J seconds to take off. 
“ Second trial, from engine to sixth carriage, 3 seconds to 
put on. 
“ Third trial, from engine to fifteenth carriage, not noted, 
18J seconds to take off. 
“ We subsequently severed the train between the eighth 
and ninth carriages after releasing the flexible pipe, leaving 
the valves open. When the engine moved on, a cord shut 
the valves, and the break could easily be applied by driver 
to the front portion of the train." 
After giving particulars of the Westinghouse vacuum and 
Steele’s air breaks, the Report proceeds “ In these trials 
the most rapid adtion, both in putting on and taking off the 
breaks, was obtained from the Westinghouse air break." 
The mean retarding force exercised by the several breaks 
was tried in a variety of ways, but it will not be necessary 
to note more than two methods which represented most 
nearly what would be the case in adtual working. In both 
of these stoppage was ordered by flag signal, upon which 
all available break or other power was applied by driver 
and guards to the stopping of the complete train. In the 
first series of experiments sand was employed, whilst in the 
latter it was not used. 
The following table shows the results obtained with the 
use of sand 
