Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-12-08
The Conductors story.

The Conductors story.
| We were smoking one night before the
hotel smoking room CRATE, when one man
said:
II have always thought I'd like to be
railroad conductor-for awhile at least.
The old conductor smiled and knocked
the ashes off his cigar.
s'Well," said he, 81 believe almost every
one has had that feeling at one time OF
another. There is something fascinating
to a sober business man in the idea OF
doing business and earning your living al
thirty miles an hour, and the spice Of
danger that you may at any moment be
press is just vague enough not to brighten
but to attract. But to conductor it is
prosaic business enough. So it is to en-.
gineers and brakesmen. Don't you re-
member that at the inquest over the Nor
the engineer was in tho habit of opening
everything and then reading newspaper.
He was neglecting his business of course
but it shows what habit will do; twill
make q reading room of an express en-
gipe. ..
I .Railroad men learn the lesson of pune
lily very thoroughly. 1t won't do to
1tate or the train won't start on time,
and then an awful row is certain. One
time was at Albany, and that afternoon
the Hudson River, Boston and Central
trains all started at five o'clock. Well,
the conductors of the trains, and the en-
gineers, too, went down the river on pro-
peller-the Julia think she was called.
We turned round in plenty time, but
about ten miles below Albany we ran
aground. There wasn't conductor at
the depot to take any ones place, and
the tide was falling. Williams, splen-
did great big fellow, became desperate,
jumped into the river, put his shoulders
under the stern, where the propeller had
caught on mud bank, and as the boat
was nine can power only, and he was a
perfect Hercules, he actually lifted her
off and we arrived in Albany just in time
only Williams had to run to Syracuse
with his wet clothes on.
sIt's a 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
the stations are called stations. 1t is not
such dangerous life, either. Accident
insurance companies don't rate passenger
conductors very high, but if you ever
want to feel how helpless a creature you
are in the hands of the Almighty, just
get on an express engine, and get the
engineer to open everything on a dark
night 1t is positively awful to see your
head light boring into darkness, and to
think that between you and instant death
there is only the chance of the two pieces
of iron you're travelling on being con-
tinuous and clear; that if somebody has
Just pried up a rail since the last train
went over, or anchored something on the
track, your friends won't know your body
when the coroner's jury call them as wit
nesses to your identity.
That's the way felt the first time 1
tried it, but the engineer was smoking q
pipe, and the fireman was whistling Jim
along Josey.
When a conductor runs a 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 and in the next.
Then he lives two lives. One night he is
married man at one place; the next
night he is bachelor at another place !;
and the next night married man again
and so on, see saw.
There is a kind of queer feeling of re-
sponsibility, having three or four hundred
lives in your keeping. But then there's
the rules. If you keep to them, if any
thing happens it isn't your fault. When
you are out of time and have to wait, you
are sure to be cross and sure to be bad
gered with questions. A foreigner once
told me that one of the most surprising
things that he had seen in America was
| the respect to conductors, and the way
they were obeyed by passengers. But
passengers will ask questions when you
are waiting, and its provoking. One day
/ was out of time, and ran off on a switch
to wait for either the down train or tel
egram to come on. By and by pompous
man comes to me as was sitting on the
fence.
"Mr. Conductor" said he "what are we
waiting for ?" ....
"For the down train-we are out of
time. There's a single track here, and
she has the right of the way" ...
'But suppose the down train is behind
too p"
"Then I'll get a telegram"
"But suppose they don't telegraph you
how long will you wait p
"Till the wheels rust off,"
He went to the coach growing some
thing about having an engagement in
town at the time the train was due, and
afterward found ont that he was Vice
President of the road. But he was sem
sible old fellow, though quick tempered,
and stood better with the officers for
what had said. He used to poke heavy
fun at me sometimes, and recommend me
to wet the wheels and they would rust
off sooner.
It's astonishing how reckless some rail-
road men become! Twas on side track
waiting out of time once, and a fellow
comes to me and says:
"Why don't you go on ?"
"Cause my order is to stay" answered
rather sharply.
He was the new superintendent. al
young fellow whom Ishad never seen be.
cause he'd just come on the road. He
was counting girl on the line of the
road, afterward found ont, and had an |
engagement to go to ball with her that
night, which the lay over interfered with. |
So he said very quietly, "No, thew
amt" and when / looked surprised. he |
says, "I'm the superintendent of this road. |
| say you've time to get over this bit of
single track and have three minutes to
spare before the down train reaches it. I |
have calculated and know"
"I've got my printed orders, Mr.. Super.
intendent, says !, and he broke right in-l
sNeyer mind your printed orders-Il
order you to go ahead"
"Well, wouldn't and he was awfullv
mad and swore that I shouldn't run =
week longer on the road. Probably after
he had conled down ha uunnld haua 1891