The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-05-06
A NEW YORK DEPOT.
How 40 Trains and 1900 Passengers
Are Governed by the Man with the
Knahs

How IsO Trains and 1000 Passengers
Are Governed by the Man with the
Knobs.
At'the Grand Central depot the Hud-
son River and Harlem roads load and
unload their human freights-l7O train.
loads day of them. Think of that a
minute; think OF the immense influx
and outgo of humanity. No other than
human freight, except baggage and 'ex-
press matter, is received or deposited
heEe. Under the immense roof of glass
and iron is q vast,wilderness of tracks,
on which trains come and 60 as if con-
trolled by magic. Ihad the pleasure OF
an introduction to the presiding genius
of the place, and interviewed him in his
eyrie-like abode, and this presiding
genius is not Mr.. Vanderbilt either. 1t
is long climb up many stairs, through
dark Railways, up to near the great
glass roof, Then out through a door
way in a window along long and mar
row pathway of two planks, protected
by an iron rail, and into q little glass
box, hung over the middle of the great
depot, at the end through which all trains
arrive and depart. Here we find a p cas-
ant-faced, affable young gentleman,
Van Dorm by name. He is the presid-
ing genius of the place, and he is sur
rounded by implements ofmagic. But
it is the magic of the eighteenth CEN
tury, the magic Of the telegraph, the
swiltness and mystery of the lightning
broken to harness, and made the intelli-
gent and serviceable slave of man. In
the center of one wall ticks regulator
clock, beside it a time card. On the left
of the table a mysterious fnger-board
with twenty-one keys, on the right of
the table telegraph instrument. On
the wall beside the clock are sundry lit
tie bells, greatly given to activity. Van
Dorm, the magician, touches a knob on
the key board, and courteously ex-
plains: II have signaled the baggage
man to stop checking baggage for out
going Harlem train" Another knob
touched: "That rings n bell in the
depot ordering the closing of the doors
against more passengers" Another
knob touched: "That orders the
opening of the door in the waiting
ROOM" Another dive at the key board:
Il have ordered the engineer to back
up his engine" Another touch: "This
orders the fireman to get ready to couple
on the train" "Time is up. and this
orders the train to move" And obe-
dent to this mysterious young man way
up here in this glass box, the whole
manifold machinery of the great depot
moves on smoothly and rapidly. But
here, the telegraph instrument breaks
out. "a train coming in has passed
Mott Haven" A sig is touched. 1t
turns disk a mile and half distant,
not orders it turned, but turns it. 1t
shows whether the track is clear or not.
For about a mile and half from the
depot the tracks of the Hudson River
and Harlem roads cross each other,
forming sort of gigantic figure eight
without the curves at the end. Here
almost any hour of the twenty -four
terrible collision could be arranged by
magician Van Dorm with very little trou-
bic. But he is alert and wide awake.
A signal bell rings, showing that the
signal is set at the crossing. Another
bell rings. "Ah, the outgoing train has
gone on the side track, and the main
track is clear" A touch of the key
board: "The incoming train is signaled
that the track is clear" Another bell
rings: "She has passed the crossing
The outgoing train is on the main
track again" "She has passed the
crossing" Another bell rings, and an
other signal shows the train is passing
another signal station nearer the depot,
few minutes more and she hcaves in
sight. And all the time we have been
writing Mr.. Van Dorm has been signal
ing engineers, firemen, baggagemen,
conductors, doormen, setting danger
signals at one point and remov.
ing them at another, making min.
utes OF time on blank report, and
manipulating his telegraph instrumen.
with wonderful rapidity, and at the
same time finding time to chat pleas
antly with his visitors. OF the daily
average of $4,000 people who pass in
and out OF this great,depot every wor king
day of the year, on the ITO daily trains,
how many of them think that their lives
have been in the hands of Mr.. Van
Dorm or his "partner" up in the roof
thereP Suppose he succumbs to the
heat or the cold, or falls asleep for few
seeondsp But then he doesn't look like
that kind of n man, and we dismiss the
ugly thought and fall to admiring the
ingenuity of arrangement and perfection
of detail that makes such perfect and
intelligent management possible. .--NeW
York Letter.
II. Il