Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-07-14
THE RAILROAD BEIL.ROPE.
How the Device Came to he Adopted
"A Blow at the Engineers Authority

In the early days of the railroad in
this country the locomotive engineer
was the master of the train. He ran it
according to his judgment, and the
conductor had very little voice in the
matter. Collecting fares, superintend-
ing The loading and unloading of
freight, and shouting "All aboard 7"
were all that the conductor was ex-
pected to do. The Erie Railway was
then the New York and Erie Railroad
There was no rail connection with
Jersy City in 1912. Boats carried pass
engers from New York to Piermont on
the Hudson, which was then the east
ern terminus OF the road. Turner's, AZ
miles from New York, was as far west
as the railroad was in operation. One
of the pioneer conductors of this line
vas the late Captain Ayers. He ran
the only train then called for between
the two terminal points. 1t was made
up of freight and passenger cars. The
idea of the engineer, without any
knowledge of what was going on back
of the locomotive, having his way rs to
how the train was to run, did not strike
the Captain as being according to the
propriety of things. He frequently en-
countered a fractions passenger who
insisted on riding without paying his
fare. AS there was no way of signaling
the engineer, and the passenger could
not be thrown from the train while it
was in motion, the conductor in
such cases had no choice but
to let him ride until a
regular stop was made. Captain
Ayres finally decided to institute new
system in the running of trains He
procured stout Irvine. sufficiently
long TO reach from the locomotive to
the rear car. He fastened stick of
wood to the end of this string next the
engineer. He ran this cord back over
the cars to the last one. He informed
the engineer, German named Abe
Hammil, that if he desired to have the
train stopped he would pull the string
and raise the stick, and he would ex-
pect the signal to be obeyed Hammil
looked upon the innovation as direct
blow at his authority, and when the
train left Piermont he cut the stick
loose. At Turner'S he told Captain
Ayers that he proposed to run the
train himself, without Interference from
any conductor The next day the Cap
tain rugged up his string and stick of
wood again.
''Aoe this things got to be settled
one way or the other to day. If that
stick Of wood is not on the end of this
cord when we get to Turner's you've
got to lick me or III lick you"
The stick was not on the string when
the train reached Turner's. The Cap
tain took off his coat and told Hammil
to get off his train. Hammil declined to
get of. Captain Ayres climbed to the en-
gineer's place. Hammil started to get
off on the opposite side. The conduct
or hit him under the ear, and saved him
the trouble of jumping. That forever
settled the question Of authority on
railroad trains. Hammil abdicated as
autocrat on the pioneer Erie train, and
the Irvine and stick Of wood controlled
his movents, and was manipulated by
the conductor. That was the origin of
the bell-rope, now one Of the most inn
portant attachments of railroad trains |
The idea was quickly adopted by the
few roads then in operation, and the
bell or gong in time took the place of
the stick of wood to signal the engineer
Captain Ayres continued conductor
on the road, under its different manag-
ers until he was superannuated and re-
tired On a pension year ago. He died
few months ago in Oswego at the age
of IS years.