The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-09

ISau, Oh course, OF nalr turning gray III
q single night through fright. Mine
was not caused that way. Was I bor1,
that way? Oh, no; at twenty my hair
was as black as a coal. Those streaks
of gray were caused by my three or four
years. experience as train dispatcher
on a great trunk line running out of
Chicago.
People who climb on passenger
train when she is two or three hours late
little imagine what endless planning
and management it takes to get her
through safely. Let "a freight get behind
time and we can handle her by running
her on another trains time, but pas
senger breaks up everything on 81, Eo9a.
"A train dispatcher must be familiar with
every circumstance and every possible
combination Of circumstances. He
must know Oh just what portion of the
road fast time can be made and give
orders accordingly. He mustnever give
an order for certain time to he made un-
less he positively certain that the grade
and condition Of the weather will permit
of such time being made. To-day may
order train to run from station A to
station B, and another for train to run
from b to A, when the same order to-
morrow would precipitate a collision,
Y OH have got to know all the men on
the line. Why, on that road that I
worked on there would be engineers and
conductors that could never get train
through on time. Then there would be
others that would never be late except in
case Of accident. Why, sometimes
during my eight hours Of duty I would
give 25O train orders. Just think of that
a moment. Here is passenger train
four hours late and freight side-track-
ed at almost every station. OF course
that puts every train behind time. First
1 have to order the operator to put out
his flag and hold the train for orders,
and then have to send the order and
wait for it to be repeated back. At the
same time a train may be passing a
station five miles away, where want to
hold and side track her. All this time
[ must not only keep clear track for
the passenger train, but must not m-
necessarily detain the freights. Some
times right in the middle Of rush OF
business like this the wire will break or
some operator will leave his key open.
Then everything Is to pay. Fortunately
the train dispatcher's orders is the law.
Every employe is bound to obey it. So
we do not have to- worry about that.
Ibid 1 ever have an accident2 No.;
but I've come mighty near it. Once 1
left the office by permission in care of
my assistant, and when I returned I
found that he had two trains running
toward each other on a single track and
| only a station between them. Fortunate-
ly got message to the station in time
to flag the first train that got there, but
II one of them had happened to have pass
ed there would have been fearful &c
cident, 1t was very natural mistake.
My assistant had been with me two
years. He had everything side tracked
all right, but had forgotten the 'unwrit-
ten law of the road prohiting two trains
passing on a single track. On another
occasion lost train" ..
'Lost train?''
eyes, sir, lost it completely, It was
local freight, and was Il little late. 1t
left f. twenty minutes behind time.
and was due at M in forty minutes,
where it was ordered to side track for
No. 3, a fast express. F-and M
were eleven miles apart, and No. could
not leave F. until the local was re-
ported side tracked at NJ. Well. I
waited an hour, and then called M,
who had the message for the local, and
asked him where tho freight was lie
didn't know, In the meantime the ex-
press was at r, and the passengers
were getting mad. Thirty minutes
more and still no train. Then ORDER
ed No. 2 to run cautiously to M.
She did so, but found no local. 10 say
that we were paralyzed is putting it
mildly. Ten minutes later W., a LTD
tie station near the city, reported the
local there. She had got by M in
some way without disturbing the opera
tor. Diogenes never hunted 80 diligent-
| ly for an honest man in the degenerate
days in which he lived as did we for that
train.n
"Why did you leave the businessp''
because 4 was growing year older
every week. had the work Of ten men
upon my shoulders. You often hear
about the brave engineer, clinging with
firm resolve and calm resignation to the
throttle while the engine is plunging on
toward inevitable destruction. His re-
sponsibility is nothing. He has only a
single train and has 10 duty but to obey
rules. The train dispatcher has hun
dred trains under his finger that presses
upon the key. A moments delay to a
passenger train, a trifling accident to a
freight, and the dispatcher Is cussed.
The eight hours you put in bending over
your key seemed like week. Youl
head swims and grows dizzy beneath its
awful responsibility. No more train
dispatching for me If you please. Twas
offered that position on this road with q
comfortable salary, but told them all
i 4oI H., A 4.