The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-10-25
WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO.

and leave New York through the broad
portals of the Grand Central Depot
know that the arrival and departure of
all trains are regulated by the pressure
of a finger upon electric buttons, ar
ranged in three rows on q keyboard
less than three feet square.
That key board is in little glass OBJ
seryatory which hangs forty feet above
the outer entrance gates of the building,
and which is about the size of an aver
age bay-window, having just standing
room for three persons. The northern
outlook commands bird s-eye view of
the network of tracks forming what is
known as the yard, and from the south
ern side one is able. at a glance, to take
in the depot.
First of ALL" says Mr. Disbrow, the
depot-master, pointing to clock having
the portrait Of the late Commodore
Vanderbilt, "I suppose you would like
to know how we keep time up here. 1t
is done by an electric wire which is con-
trolled by the clock in the Superintend-
ent's Office.
"When the hands of that are moved
forward or back, the hands of this 90
the same way. The Superintendent
clock, in turn, is regulated by the West
ern Union Telegraph Company's time.
at Washington, Cambridge and Alle-
gheny."
During this explanation, Mr.. Vandorn,
the train-despatcher, was noting on a
time-bill the arrival of one train and
giving the signal for the departure OF
another, running his fingers over the
keyboard with something of the grace
of an accomplished. pianist. He stood
at his workable, having an ordinary
telegraph apparatus at his right hand,
and the electric buttons to his left. The
clock hung upon the wall in front of
him, and at either side of it were tell
| tale electric bells and indicators.
Now" continued Mr.. Disbrow, '' he
will show you what one man can do in
controlling five and half miles of rail-
road tracks,
We'll" said Mr.. Vandorn, as he
| pressed an electric button to call
| switch-engine to duty in some part of
the yard. "I will begin by telling you
| that am in telegraphic connection with
the station at Spuyten Duyvil. twelve
miles distant The arrival there of
every New York bound train is notified
to me by telegraph. but my duty proper
| does not begin until train arrives at
Mott Haven Junction. That is five and
/ a half miles from where we stand. and
every train, inward and outward, on
| the New York Central, the New Haven
and the Harlem Road passes it.
There are thirteen tracks in the
yard, and from Fifty-Third street to
| One Hundred and Thirty-First street
there are four tracks. Hundreds of
trains come in and go out every day,
and from this little box of NINE 1 can
| control each one. know exactly where
each one is at a given minute. L can
stop it or start it by touch on this key
| board of mine.
Here, for instance" he continued,
sis a button marked 'ln-Track.' A
slight pressure upon that notifies the
| switchman at Forty-Sixth street what
track to use for an incoming train.
Upon this time-biil of mine see how all
the tracks are occupied, and act accord
| ingly. Immediately on getting infor-
nation from Mott Haven, / signal the
switchman, and the train arrives at the
/ depot thirteen minutes after. This
| switchman has charge of all the depot
switches, and knows by the number of
| strokes on the electric bell in his house
| which track is meant
| 1.-The next button is marked switch
| engine 1t controls the engines working
about the yard, being in connection with
1 gong OF er the depot gateway. The en-
gineers hear and know every sound of
that. One stroke means to stop; two
strokes to go ahead; and three to back
up. Yard or switch-engines are used
for making up trains, and getting them
ready to be dispatched. The engines
that are employed for traffic purposes
are switched off when they enter the
yard and go to the round-house to be
cleaned.
1.-The third button is in connection
with the waiting-room of passengers
intending 20 leave by trains on the Har-
lem Railroad. Twenty minutes before
| start train, press upon this button
and il rings a bell twice. This is the
doorman's intimation to allow passen-
gers to enter the depot and take their
seats in the cars.
Five minutes before the start 1 ring
the same bell three times, ami the door
man thereupon informs the passengers
that they have only five minutes more.
When the advertised time isup, 1 ring the
bell once, which means that the door of
the waiting-room is to be closed. One
minu is then allowed for passengers
to get to the cars and take their seats.
':The fourth button is connected
with the Harlem Railroad baggage
Il
starts press upon this three times. and
the baggage master understands that he
is to take no more baggage, and that
he is to send down to the cars all he
has in hand.
"The fifth button is in connection
with one of three bells situated one over
each of the three tracks entering the
depot-the New York Central and Hud-
| SON River. the New York q Harlem and
the New York & New Haven. They
are called the back-in bells. In order
to prevent smoke and noise in the depot
the engines stand in the yard, one hun
dred and twenty-five feet from the en-
trance. Two minutes before the train
starts l ring bell to notify the engineer
to back down. At the same time I give
signal for a brakeman of the train to
couple the engine.
1.-The sixth button is marked *
start and is used for giving the Harlem
Road conductors the signal to go ahead.
"The next button" continued Mr..
Vandorn, "is in connection with the
switch-cabin in Fifty-third Street. The
man in charge there is responsible for
the working of fourteen interlocking
lever switches and signals, all of which
ton he is informed of my wishes as to
the tracks which trains are to pass
over.
the fiy-up danger signal at Forty ninth
Street, on the main track coming in, and
works it by electricity. That signal
has two sides, one red and the
other white. The red side it pre-
| sante ~ oil ;noor,;np trains ond