The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-09-09
TIPTON, IOWA, SEPTEMBER 9, 1869.

liz lO
THE CONDUCTORS STORY.
We were smoking one night before
the hotel smoking-room CRATE, when
zone man said:
G"I have always thought I'd like to be
a railroad conductor.-for little while
at least"
The old conductor smiled and knocked
the ashes off his cigar.
"Well," said he, II believe almost
everybody has had that feeling at one
time or another. There is something
fascinating to sober business man in
the idea of doing business and earning
your living ut 30 miles an hour, and
the spice Of danger that you may
be sent to kingdom come by lightning
express is just vague enough not to
frighteD, but attract. Bot to . conduc.
tor it's prosaic business enough. So It
is to engineers and brakemen. Don't
you remember that, at the inquest over
the Norwalk Bridge accident, it was
shown that the engineer was In the hab-
it Of opening verything, and then read
ing newspaper? He was neglecting
his business, Of course; but it shows
what habit will do; twill make = read
ing room of al express engine.
Railroad men learn the lesson Of
punctuality very thoroughly. 1t won't
do to lie late, or the train won't start on
time, aud then an awful row IL certain.
One time was ut Albany, and that af-
ternoon the Hudson River, Boston and
Central traius all started ut 5 O'Clock.
Well, the conductors Of the trains, and
the engineers, too, went down the river
on little propelIer-the Julia, / think
she was called. We turned round in
plenty Of time, but about ten miles be-
low Albany ran aground. We were in
nice scrape. There wasn't a conduct
or at the depot to take any ones place,
and the tide was falling. Williams, u
splendid, great big fellow, got desperate,
jumped into the river, put his shoulder
under the stern, where the propeller had
caught Oh mud bank, and as the boat
was about nine cat power only, and he
was perfect Hercules, he actually lift
ed her oil, and We got toAibal,y just in
time-only Williams had to run to Syr-
acuse with his wet clothes OH.
It's \ queer existence, too, running
day after day through lot Of little
places that you don't take any interest
in, or know anything about, more than
that the stations are called such stations.
1t isn't such dangerous life, eittle.
Accident insurance companies don't
rate passenger conductors very high, but
if ever you want to feel how helpless
you are in the hands Of the Almighty,
just get Oh the express engine, and get
the engineer to open rything' OH u
dark night. It's positively awful to see
your headlight boring into darkness,
and to think that between you aud in
slant death there's only the chance of
two pieces of iron you're travelling Oh
being continuous aud clear; that if
somebody had just pried up rail since
the last train went ove:, or anchored
something on the track, your friends
won't know your body when the cor
oner's jury calls them As witnesses to
your identity. That's the way thought
the first time tried it, but the engineer
was smoking u pipe, and the fireman
was whistling Jim. along Josey'
When q conductor runs y train out of
town and runs another in again the
same day, it isn't such queer life As
when he runs train out one day aud
IN the next. Then he lives two lives,
One night he's married man at Que
place the next night he's q bachelor ut
another place, aud the next night a
married man again-and 50 on, see-
saw.
There's kind Of feeling Of RESPONSE
bility, having three or four hundred
lives in your keeping. But then, there's
the rules. lfyou keep to them, if any
thing happens it isn't your fault. When
you're out Of lime and have to wait,
you're sure to be cross, and sure to lie
badgered by questions. A foreigner
once told me that one Of the most sur
prising things he'd seen in America
was the respect paid to conductors and
the way they were obeyed by passengers.
But passengers will ask questions when
you're waiting, and it's provoking. One
day was out Of time, aud ran off on a
switch to to wait for either the down
train or telegram to come on. BY and
by, pompous man comes to me as was
citing on the fence.
Mr.. Conductor says he, what are
we waiting for:'
For the down train-we're out oil
time. There's 4 single track here, aud
she has the right Of way
But suppose the down train is behind
to0?
Then II! get a telegram
But suppose they don't telegraph
you. how long will you waltz
'2iU the Wheets rust o6!' said !.
He went back to this coach. growing