Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1871-09-23
THE OONDUCToR's sTOnY.

THE CONDUCTORS STORY.
We were smoking one night be-
fore the hotel smoking room CRATE,
! when one man said
Il have always thought I'd like
| TO be a railroad conductor-for q
while at least"
The old conductor smiled, and
knocked the ashes OF his cigar.
"Well," said he, 81 believe that al
most every one has had that feeling
at one time or another. There is
something fascinating to a sober
business Insu 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 mo-
ment be sent TO kingdom come by
lightning express is just vague
enough not 90 frighten but TO at
tract But TO a a'conductor il is pro
sale business enough SO IL Is TO en-
Il gineers aud brakesmen. Don't you
remember that at the inquest held
over the Norwalk bridge accident
1 IL was shown that the engineer was
in the habit of opening everything,
and then reading newspaper. lie
was neglecting his business, of
course; but il shows what habit will
do; twill make reading room OF
an express engine.
SsRailroad men learn the lesson OF
1 punctuality very thoroughly. IL
/ won't do to be late, or the train
4 won't start on time, and then an ag-
1 ftll 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,
aud the engineers, too, went down
| the river on q propeller-the Julia
I think she was called There wasn't
3 conductor at the depot to take any
ones place, and the tide was falling.
/ Williams, 5 splendid, great big fell
low, became desperate, jumped into
the river, put his shoulders under
the stern, where the propeller had
caught on a mud bank, and as the
boat was a nine cat power only, and
he a perfect Hercules, he actually
lifted her OF, and we arrived in Al
bany just in time-only Williams
had 70 run to Syracuse with his wet
clothes on
'Its queer existence, too, run
ming day after day through a lot Of
little places that you don't take any
interest in, or know anything about,
more than that the stations are cali
ed stations. 1t is not such a danger
Gus life, either. Accident insur-
ance 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 en-
gine, and get the engineer to open
everything on a dark night Ii is
positively awful to SEQ your head
light boring into the darkness, and
20 think that between you and in
stant death there is only the chance
of the two pieces of iron you're
travelling on being continuous and
clear; that if somebody had 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 witnesses to your
Identity.
That's tie way felt the first time
I tried il, but the engineer was
smoking pipe, aud the fireman was
whistling Jim along Josey.'
When q conductor runs \ train out |
of town and runs another In again |
the same day. it isn't such queer |
life as when he runs q train out one |
day and in the next. Then he lives |
two lives. One lie is a married man |
at one place; the next night he is |
bachelor at another place, and the |
next night a married man again
and so on, see saw.
There is a kind of queer feeling Of
responsibility, having three or four
hundred lives in your keeping. !
But then there's the rules. II you
keep 10 them, if anything 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 |
badgered with questions. A for
eigner once told me that one of the /
most surprising things that he had /
seen in America was the respect 10 /
conductors; and the way they were .
obeyed by passengers. But passen-
gers will ask questions when you
are waiting, and its provoking )
One day was out Of time, and ran
off on a switch 10 wait for either
the down train or a telegram TO
come on. By and by a pompous
man comes to me as / was sitting on
fence
"Mr. Conductor" said he "what
are we waiting for?"
'sFor the down train-we are out
of time. There's q single track
here, and she has the right Of the
way"
But suppose the down train is
behind too?"
s'Then Pn get a telegram
'sBut suppose they don't telegraph
you, how long viii you waits"
ssTill the wheels rust of"
He went TO the coach growing
something about having an engage
ment in town at the time the train
was due, and afterwafd | fOisnd out
that he was Vice President OF the
road. But he was sensible old
fellow, though qnick-tempered; and
stood better with the officers for
what 1 had said. he used TO poke
heavy at me sometimes, and recon-
mend me TO wet the wheels and they
would rust of sooner
It is astonishing how reckless
some railroad men become, / was
on a side track waiting out of time
once and q fellow comes to me and
says:
"Why don't you 90 on?"
sBecause my order is to stay"
answered rather sharply
He was the new Superintendent, a
young fellow, whom 1 had never /
seen, because he'd just come on the /
road. He was eOurting a girl on
the line of the road, ! afterwards
found out, and had an engagement
to go to ball with her that night,
which the lay-Over interfercd with.
So he said, very quietly, '.NO, they |
amt" and when Hooked surprised,
he says, "Pm 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 il. | have
calculated and know.
s'Pve got my printed orders, Mr..
Superintendent, says /" and he
broke right in:
'sNever mind your printed orders:
order you 10 go ahead"
sfWell, wouldn't and ae was aw-
fully mad and swOre thatI shouldn't
run a week longer on the road.
Probably after he had cooled down
be wonld have never said a word
dDOHl t4ic uiaLbSIs AOL nc was ClcdEll
in the wrong. Three minutes is too
close shave on time when six or
seven hundred peoples lives are in
terested, and regular printed orders
are TO be obeyed till other regular
printed orders arc issued. But | |
thought at first he'd complain to the
President, and was bound to have
the first talk If possible.
The President heard my story,
and sent for the Superintent. He
denied that he had ordered me at all |
or made any threafr hat that he