The Portland daily press., 1870-10-22

by the title of nation, nor have they ever
been honored by being made party to
treaty.
Thirty Years on the Track.
Last " ednesday being the 18th of October,
1870, Mr.. OLIVER L. TowLE, the we'll known
conductor on the passenger train running be-
tween this city and Portsmouth, N. H., COM
pleted his thirtieth year of service in that ca
pacity, and forthwith Switched himself off
on side track, to celebrate the event and en-
joy few days recreation. Let us fondly hope
he has betaken himself by primitive convey
ance (say an old coach, or zone horse shay,")
to some quiet spot where the scream of the
steam engine never penetrates-where people
know nothing of "time tables or ''connec-
lions" and live in the firm belief that railroads
are unconstitutional, tending to corrupt public
morals by cheapening the price of horseflesh
and running the market for hay.
Let us pray thatshs dreams may be pleasant
and his sleep sound, SO that he shall not be-
tray his calling, nor disturb the midnight slum-
bers of his host with the startling cry of "all
aboard" or the persuasive exhortation to tray
oilers bound to Brunswick, Bath Hallowell
and Augusta" and DESTROYS of taking the
flower Kennebec," to s'change cars" In short
let us hope and pray that this little episode
may be in his life's journey a sort of North
Berwick station, with the brakes set, and five
minutes for retreshment" Our justification
for Selling this event as the subject for remarks
is the fact that Railroad conductors are pre-
eminently-public characters. Not perhaps in
the sense that high government officials, cele-
brated politicians, great statesmen, famous SOL
diers and eloquent orators are public charac-
tiers; but in that better and ulster sense by
reason whereof the public acquire an interest
in one whom they all know and who knows
everybody. The railroad conductor takes YOUR
hrst check and if you are very young, benevo-
lently pats you on the head; tells YOU to be a
gooo boy, and ever after looks at you with an
expression that seems to say, 80 I've seen you
before. The conductor, when once the train is
fairly out of the depot, is unquestionably the
biggest man aboard-a sort of autocrat with
authority to control the engineer, stoker and
brakeman, and to put you off the train if Won
refuse to pay your fare, or develop symrtoms
OF temporary insanity by attempting to kiss
the pretty girl in front of you under the mis-
taken notion that she is your sister. Such be-
ing the case, Conductors can plead no exempt
ION from the editorial draft, and if perchance
they ind themselves hung out upon the edito-
xlai line, let them be thankful that, as gener-
al thing, they make much finer appearance
Than the most who get an airing in that way
1t we back up our train to the wear 1910
(and old line Wings will make that trip with
pleasure).we shall find Mr. Towle mounted nm
on the box and cracking the whip over a
spanking team which started from the old
Eastern Stage House in Boston and brought
up at the old Wolf Tavern in the staid old town
OF Newburyport. His was part of the great
through line between this city and the "hub',
the drivers of which came laundering at your
doors AN hour after midnight, called for YOU at
2oclOck A. NJ, and if the roads were in good
order, landed you in Boston &C ten o'clock in
the evening of the same day. But this won
derful speed was attained only by the coaches
that carried the mail. you took the accom-
modatlon stage you were two days on the road
with the privilege of spending right at Ports
mouth The cost of the trip was $40, unless
happily you found a cousin at the latter place
when it would be less the amount of two
meals and nights lodging at the Franklin
rod Bell" Let mot our fast Young men
and city 'swells" look back with contempt up
on those good old days nor call our fathers
slow. The twelve or fifteen lines of staging
running into this city in 1910, was an immense
advance upon having no stages at all, and we
can but commend the enterprise and public
spirit that put so many ON the road.
At that time VIM. Alderman, afterwards
long and favorably known in this community
and to the travelling public, as an oblising
conductor and courteous gentleman) Robert
Annable. subsequently a conductor on the
Eastern road) and jeremiah Prescott now the
efficient superintendent on the Eastern. were
driving stages, and putting passengers through
by day light and moon light between Ports.
mouth and Boston. These gentlemen were
among the first conductors on the road between
here and Boston. Annable though one of
the most prudent and cautious of men was
killed on the road at the station in Wenham
1.-THE town of his birth) many years ago, and
Mr.. Alderman died in this city few years
since.
1t seems, almost pity to take these men
from off the box, where like all stage-drivers of
the olden time, they occupied such dignified |
and conspicuous positions; to place them in /
the not less responsible, bus far less command /
ing station of railroad conductors. Hence /
forth they must, Tin the estimation of children /
ana ingenious YOUTH divide the glory of their
office with the engineer and fireman and
many will be the disputes as to which il the
more important parsonage of the three Whom
on the box there was no chance for such mn.
seemly controversies. There the driven ,uos
supreme! Countrymen on the road to ,narlot
lovers taking their girls to ride, and even fun.
eral professions turned out for the U. s. Mall
aud the wonderful man to whose custody if
was committed. School children uncoyt red |
their shaggy heads and dropped their little
curtseys when the representative OF these free |
and independent statesof North America drove |
by. Maidens and matrons, old maids and /
wi lows rushed to the doors and windows when /
he passed, and the mellow music of his bright /
tin horn reaching the village while yet the |
driver was full half mile away, brought to
the village inn, not only idle urchins and vii |
lage do-nothngs, but Sunday school scholars /
and good boys who die young; with the village
lawyer, doctor, schoolmaster and minister as |
well. We sometimes wonder if amidst the
rush and whirl of these busy times, the "Old
WHIPS oi former generation whom kind |
froVioehce mas merciiuliy spared to this wick
ed and perverse generation as reminders of
happier days and better manners, even turn
regretul eyes to the good old DAYS land draw |
unfavorable comparisons between then and |
now. o that some man Of leisure and letters
who, when boy, was allowed to black the
boots and run on errands for the driver and
in virtue thereof presumed to speak of him as
'Bilp' without expecting to be struck down
lead as most of his play-fellows would if they
had taken similar liberty would write the
history of those old, old times, and rescue from
oblivion the knights of the whip and horn. 1t
IS pleasant to think that wheu these old stage
arivers found their occupation zone they were
noe turned out to grass" buS that the railroad
lin this part of the country at least)
!, spirit OF Justice that goes far to negative
me legal fiction that Corporations have no | c
souis' gave them employment as conductors | Z