The Portland daily press., 1882-04-10
THE RAILROAD LIAR.

1t has always been a source of wonder to me
| what railway corporation expects TO gain by
keeping the movements of its trains profound
mysteries from the travelling public, especially
| during periods of sudden emergencies, acct
| dents and annoying delays. The passengers on
| the train, the waiting friends and expectant
| passengers at the stations are alike snubbed,
misled BY eyasive replies, or directly ana in
delay doubly exasperating to the waiting pee
| pie, and it dosen't move the delayed train
| minute faster and doesn't add to the popular
| ity of the road.
| When the recent furry CT snow and boreal
| winds and Artic cold swept over the land I
waited at great city station OF one of the great
| est railroads in America for train due at 5
| o'clock p. IN. l suspected the train would he
| late. By diligent enquiry 1 managed to find
| fve men in the uniform OF the railroad COM
| pany's employees, who assured me that they
| didn't know anything about that train.
Well, as general thing, railroad man is
| not expected to know anything about the trains
| on his own road | suppose. If that is so these
| five neatly uniformed men in the handsomest
| station in America filed the bill to perfection.
| That is what the brakeman Melias and con-
| ductor Hanford knew, and they have got into
| trouble and an indictment for it.
But continued my search, and auearthed
| one or two more uniformed specimens Of colos-
sal ignorance of all matters remotely pertaining
| 10 the railroad, one of the specimens, the one
| with the bluest coat and brightest buttons, ex-
| pr6ooiuS SEedt IpEioc al todEuluR lucEo WcIo
any trains at all on the road that day. Present.
| ly found liar, who deliberately told me the
express was only forty-hve minutes behind
time. l afterward learned that he was not the
regular liar, but was supernumerary who
was Just learning his business, and only went
on in star parts when the regular liar was sick.
But on this occasion there we're so many
anxious people asking questions that the entire
force of liars at the disposal OF the company was
on the stage at once assisted by the full strength
haliQf | n Il
| found light comedy liar, who, when | asked
him how much was ''22'' behind, said it was
| all behind the engine. The sarcastic liar
| finished telling nervous old woman that the
| train would bs in before morning, and then
| when l asked him where iiswas now he said
| his watch had stopped, and went away to tell
| another passenger it would be along in twenty
minutes. At last found the premiere liar,
who is never sarcastic, never evasive, always
polite, always direct, and never ill-natured.
He looked me straight ia the eyes, and in tones
earnest with conviction told me at 7.30 p. m.
the train was only one hour late. He told me
the same thing again at eight o'clock; quietly
and earnestly he repeated this declaration at
9.15 p. M; at 10 20 he re-afiirned It,; he stuck
to it at IL; when midnight paused in the
| sky he called upon the stars to witness that
| what he said was trae; he stuck to it at ! @.
M; and at last, at 3 o'clock IN the morning.
that train came in, ten hours behind time, and
the premiere liar was still telling the question
| ing people that it was an hour behind schedule
time.
Now what good did all this deceit and mis-.
representation do the railroad company? 1t
didn't make pound OF steam; 1t didn't clear
away a snow-drift; it didn't deceive the public,
who have come to disbeieve almost everything
a station employee tells them about delayed
trains. 1t would be some comfort to a man
waiting for a train to know about how long he
has to wait. II he is going to be ten hours, he
will go home and start the next day. And when
a train is ten hours late surely somebody in the
employ of the company must know something
about it. 1t is true the employees are pestered
and bothered by the endless questioning of the
waiting, impatient, restless crowd, but if they
can't stand question: ing they should leave the
railroad and go to work in powder mill, whore
people will not crowd around them and
ask questions There is need of great re-
form here, and the people who wait for trains
will rise up and call that railway company
blessed that gives its employees opportunity
and permission to tell the truth about delayed
| trains Robert j. Burdette.