Station indicatorIn 1893,a patent for a "Station Indicator" was granted to the black American inventor Thomas W. Stewart with William E. Johnson, of which they assigned a half interest to Levi and Albert Johnson, all of Detroit, Michigan (U.S. No. 499,895). The invention was for use in railway and street cars to indicate the different stations and streets the car is approaching. It was to automatically advance a belt of sign cards displaying the names of the stations and streets. This advance was activated by a lever on the outside of the car coming into contact with an inclined projection beside the track. An alarm would also sound. Another lever allowed the vehicle operator to reverse the movement of the belt for the return journey. |
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