Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-07-07
THE RAILROAD BELL ROPE,
How the Device Came to be 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.
experimenting the loading and unloading of
freight, and shouting "All aboard" were all
that the conductor was expected to do. The
Erie railway was then the New York and
Erie railrOd. There was no rail connection
with jersey city in 1e42. Boats carried pas
sengers from New York to Piermont on the
Hudson, which was then the eastern termi-
nus of the road Turner's. AZ miles from
New York was as far west as the railroad
was III operation. One of the pioneer con-
ductOrs of this line was the late Capt Ayres
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 as to how the train was to be run,
did not strike the Captain as being according
to the prOpriety of things. He frequently
encountered fractions passenger who insist
ed 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 conduc-
tor in such cases had no choice but to let him
ride until regular stop was made Captain
Ayres finally determined to institute new
system in the running of trains. He procured
a stout twine, sufficiently long to reach from
the locomotive to the rear car. To the end
of this string next the engineer he fastened
stick of wood. He ran this cord back over
the cars to the last one. He informed the
who was German, named Abe
TT hot Z l,o t<,
stopped he would pull the string and raise
be obeyed. Hammil looked upon this inno-
vation as direct blow at his authority, and
when the train left Piermont he cut the
stick loose. At Turner's he told Capt Ayres
that he proposed to run the train himself.
without interference from any conductor
The next day the Captain rugged up his !
string and stick of wood again.
Abe" said he, this things got to be set /
tied 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 I'll lick you"
The stick was not on the string when the
rain reached Turner's. The Captain pulled
off his coat, and told Hammil to get off his
engine. Hammil declined to get off. Capt.
Ayres climbed to the eng gineers place Ham,
nil started to jump off ON the opposite side.
The conductor hit him under the ear and
aN ed him the trouble of jumping. That
settled forever the question of authority on
ailroad trains Hammil abdicated as auto
rat of the pioneer Erie train, and the twine
md stick Of wood manipulated by the con-
luctor controlled its management. That was
he origin of the bell rope, now one of the
most important attachments of frailroad trains.
The idea was quickly adopted by the few
Dads then in operation, and the bell or gong
n time took the place of the stick of wood
o signal the engineer. Capt. Ayres continued
conductor ON this road under its different
until he was superannuated and
etired on pension year ago. He died !
ew months ago in Owego at the age of 7S ]
ears.