Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1884-12-11

AS rule, railway conductors are po-
lite, intelligent, attentive and consider
ate. So far as it is possible within the
limits of theirduty they are also sympa-
thetic-woman, children and poor, ig-
norant people being treated by them
with especial courtesy.
The position of conductor is one of
grave responsibility, aside from its
financial duties. He is master of the
train; his authority is supreme. Con-
ductors are chosen for certain valuable
traits of character. They are the So
Der and vigilaut custodians of valuable
property and precious lives, and yet
amid all the perils of their calling moth
ing compares with the dangers which
the lurking stealthy sleuth-hound "spot-
teri has in store for them. The spot
ter's motto is down the conductorm
AS l write l am reminded of an incident
6 i4f tthhe tue Sp aeettdtanhdng pafS end
not refrain from recording it here: On
one of the great trunk lines of the coun-
try the managers decided to put to the
severest test the integrity of their con-
conductors on this line had proved to
be too honest for the average mascu-
line ''spotter," and, therefore, wom-
an was chartered for the work. This
feminine spotter had evidently been Sc
lected for her persuasive talents. She
could plead like an angel, and to add to
the pathos of Iher pleading and the
logic of her tears, she was provided
no fIv,o fnh xxyac n rpi =
w put up. The poor, forlorn, poverty
stricken woman was provided with a
story of wretchedness and woe well
calculated to draw tears from stones,
and she recited it with becoming agony
of expression and gesture. She wanted
a free ride to q certain station where
her husband had gone to obtain en-
lolos.ssao..t--Gl.a-s f,As.,ailaas, ~la,.a
without friends, and in this condition
she appealed to the conductor to let her
ride to the designated station. The
conductor refused gently but firmly.
The poor woman then got upon her
knees, held up her child and with
streaming eyes sobbed forth her plea
for aid in this hour of her extremity;
but the conductor remained firmly fixed
in his purpose to put her off at the first
station. He said to her: Madame, at
the next station l will put you off this
train. / will take you to hotel. l
will provide you with food, shelter and
lodging at my own expense. You shall
not suffer, but you shall not ride on this
train" The conductor discovered the
spotter under the disguise. Too gallant
and manly to expose her, he treated
her as if she were lady, and while her
mission was ruin, he paid her back in
mercy and saved his position. That
woman was transferred to another line,
and by her tactics swept it of every con-
6nnapi,tsIH h 4R2,ss she. p2 adH Jler .ypoarn-
out establishment, and it brings into
terrible prominence the perils of the
conductor when spotter is on his
track.
In the early days of the railroad in
this country the locomotive engineer
was the master of the train. He ran il
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!'
were all that the conductor was ex.
pected TO do. The Eric Railway was
then the New York & Erie Railroad
One of the pioneer conductors on thi:
line was Captain Ayres. He ran the
only train then called for between thu
terminal points. 1t was made up o
freight and passenger cars. The ide;
of the engineer, without having any
knowledge of what was going on bacl
of the locomotive, having it all his owl
way as to how the train was to be run
did not strike the Captain as being tn
proper sort of thing. He frequentl,
encountered fractions passenger VIII
insisted on riding without paying hi
fare, and as there was no way of signal
ing to the engineer, and the passenge
could not be thrown from the trail
while it was in motion, the conducto
in such cases had no choice but to lie
him ride until a regular stop was made
Captain Ayres finally determined to in
stitute new system in the running O
trains. He procured a stout Irvine
sufficiently long to reach from the loco
motive to the rear car, and to the en-
Of this string next the engineer h
fastened stick of wood. He ran thi
cord back over the cars to the last one
He then informed the engineer, VIII
was German named Abe Hammi
that if he desired to have the trai
stopped he would pull the string, an
would expect the signal to be obeyeC
Hammil looked upon the innovation 9
a direct blow to his authority, an
when the train left the station he CT
the stick loose and told Captain Ayrt
that he proposed to run the trai
himself without interference from an
conductor. The next day the Capital
rugged up his stick again. abe,
said he, "this things got to be settle
one way or the other to-day. If tn;
piece of wood is not on the end of th
cori by the time we get to Turner
YOU We got to lick me. or I'll lick you.
Tie stick was not on the string who
the train reached Turner's. The Ca
tain pulled of his coat aud told Han
nil 10 Get on his engine. Hammil d
cined to GET oil. Captain Ayr
cl mood 20 Che engineer place. Han
NJ, iastrd % imp % on the opposi
siu The coAaW.1pF hit Inn mdeF u
e. saved f. 70 ..c hoi l. Df ium
IN Tba, settled forever tac gucstt