The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-08-10

way they were obeyed by passengers. But
passengers will ask questions when you're
waiting, and it's provoking. One day l
was out of time, and ran of on switch
to wait for either the down train or tele-
gram to come on. By and by, pomp-
Gus man comes to Inc as | was sitting on
the fence
Mr.. Conductor says he -" what are
We waiting for ?"
" For the down train--were out of
time. There's a single track here, and
she has the right of way"
But suppose the down train il behind,
too"
"Then I'll get telegram"
But suppose they don't telegraph to
you, how long will you wait ~
" Til the ,cheelS rust o6," said l.
He went back to the coach, growing
something about having an engagement
in town at the hour the train was due, and
| afterward found out that he was the
Vice President of the road But he was
a sensible old fellow, though quick tenn
pered and | stood better with the officers
for what | had said He used to poke
heavy fun at me sometimes, and recom-
mend me to wet the wheels and they would
rust off sooner.
"It's astonishing how reckless some
railroad men become. was on side
track waiting out of time once, and a fellow
comes to me and says, Why don't you
go on ?" Cause my orders are to stay"
| said rather sharply.
He was the new superintendent, a
young fellow whom had never seen, be-
cause he'd just come on to the road. He
was courting girl on the line of the
road, afterwards found out, and had an
engagement to 60 to ball with her that
night, which this "lay-over intertered
with.
$50 he says, very quickly, &" No they
amt !" and when | looked surprised, he
says" I'm the superintendent of this road
and tell you you've time to get over this
bit of single track and have three minutes
to spare before the down train reaches it.
have calculated and knop."
I've got my printed orders, Mr.. Su-
perindent' says |, and he broke right
i'll
Never mind your printed orders, or
der you to 60 ahead
We'll, l wouldn't and he was awfully
mad, and swore that | shouldn't run n
week longer on that road Probably af-
ter he had cooled down he would never
said word about the matter, for he was
clearly in the wrong. Three minutes is
too close Il shave on time when six or sew
en- hundred peoples lives are interested
and regular printed orders are to be obey
ed till other regular printed orders are is
sued. But thought, at first, he'd COM
plain to the President, and | was bound
to have the first talk, ifpossible.
The President heard my story and sent
for the superintendent. He denied that
he had or'ared me at ALL or made any
threats, but said that he had told me
had ten minutes to spare. So it was Il
question Of veracity, and began to think
| would be sent back to run my train, ,anC
that running train on That road wouldn'
be my business very long.
= 'All at once gentleman who had beer
sitting with 4 newspaper held in front o
his face at tho back of the Office, cam,
forward.
y Mr.. President said he, i happened
to be by these twomen when they had tina
talk. The conductor is right and thu
y other man lies. If the train had gone ol
! | had made up my mind to walk back t.
,l l.. ctot oh do
{ seemed so great
= Then the President UaS mad.
e why, good heavens = said he, m.
u wife and family were on that train. Mr.
, Superintendent, go and draw your wage
80 to the first of next month, and leave tn
road no,cF
;, But sometimes conductor is put i
such position that the rules won't guild
VI him. Then the responsibility is yer
IT, great. | remember once being so PLACED
+ and | thought at the time that my hal
u = ought to bave turned white that nigh
~ with anxiety.
= 1t was when the Hudson River Raj
10 road was Just built There was no tel,
- % graph along the line then, and eyerythin
- was quite primitive compared to what
y is now. The fagmen had on sort of
O. strike about those days, too, so that 70
70 trusted to luck ror safe running | WI
=. - running sort of way-train between Nc
Y York and Poughkeepsie then. Runnin
~ an express is much pleasanter than ruI
u, ming II way you may easily imagin
~ An express sometimes don't stop for O
at hour at time, and, after you've worke
u. u your coaches once, you have nothing to
" but to sit down and earn your money tht
Us easy way. Then, when you reach II
60 next station, if your brakeman mind the
own business, they can tell you how mar
- passengers have got into each coach, al
90 90 then you are always able to pick the
~ ~ out, because they haven't got the ,eaL
ne u. air of the old passengers. But Il wa
train conductor has much harder work.
ut We'll, ran the train out of New Yol
oI one afternoon, and had for the drive
~ Of the engine man who was famous t.
~ ~ the accurate way in which he would con
ar al up to his stations. He would stop III
~ named coach almost to foot where
\, said he would but on this occasion
y. appeared 10 have very poor luck. /
"a ran past his stations and had TO back dow
81, and then again he would stop so sho
oI 'I that the engine would be in front of 4
''9 I station, and the rear coach an eighth OF
~ ~ mile back, and it raining hard, too. Tn
~, ~, he'd start up again, just as the passenge
~ '"' were getting out. So we kept runni
~ ~ behind time all the while. There was
,St ~ sort of lightning express came out of N
sns sns York about an hour after US, and
So Soa gradually working back into lis time,
''' We got near Fishkill, and, havi
made an awful bad shot at depot ! "a
oil to the baggage master Mack has b
ay' luck at making his stations to-day. W.