Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-12-11
4 RAILROAD REMInlscENcE.

How the Oldest EmpIoye of the Cous0l-
idated Road Cleaned Out Gang of
Roughs.
The New Haven Register has the fol-
lowing to say about William Mack, the
Belle Dock switehman, who has been
longer in the service of the New York,
New Haven & Hartford Road than any
of its other employees, having worked
for it thirty -sefen years:
.sOn one occasion he did the line q
good turn, which it is likely will never
be forgotten so long as ce-President
Reed lives. 1t was many years ago,
when the traffic between New York and
Hartford was less than a twentieth
what it is now. The Hartford & New
Haven Road then ran to Belle Dock and
connected there with the steamboat for
New York. By this means the road
was building up handsome traffic
when the Hartford and New York
steamboats, were put on the Connecticut
River and the Hartford depot of the
road was filled with runners who netted
nearly all the passengers for these
boats. The railroad company gathered
its shop hands and drove the runners
Oub OH ScFcIdl OCCetSlOuS, tubil 1IHa11Y
the steamboat company brought up
gang of New York roughs, headed by
big bully. These cleaned out the shop
hands and then marched in and took
charge of the depot and began SCOOP
ing in the passengers, bowling defiance
at the officers of the road. The latter
were in despair. Finally one of them
thoughtof Mack, who at that time was
conductor of gravel train and was
working down near Meriden. Mack
then stood six feet one in his stockings,
powerful, good-natured man, who
never knew what it was to feel fear.
But he was a perfect demon when mad
dened. The following dispatch was
wired him from Hartford:
civilian Mack, Meriden, Conn.,,
come in at once with your men,
conductor Mack knew nothing of
what was going on in Hartford, but in
five minutes time he was flying toward
that city with an engine and one gravel
car full of laborers. At Hartford the
roughs still held the depot. Conductor
Mack was directed to arm his men with
clubs and drive them out. Said he:
"'rll do it alone
mo amount of talk would dissuade
him from entering the depot at once
and alone, although the officers drew
up his men for assistance, if necessary.
He stepped rapidly forward and CON
fronted the bully with an appraised and
clinched fist and with flashing eyes, All
he said was: Now. curse you, get out
of this, quickr The bully was COM
pletely over-awed by the threatening
aspect of the man who crowded down
upon him, and who seemed by his man
ner determined to override verything.
He fell back, and speedily he and his
whole crowd were outside the depot.
They made no more trouble. After this
Mr.. Mack was frightfully mangled in
railroad accident, and later he was
again badly hurt. Now, aged and
crippled, but still man of iron will
and vise-like grip, he attends to half
dozen switches about his little switch
house in Belle Dock Yard. One day an
official of the road, high in authority,
came by his house and saw him limp
ing to distant switch. He shouted to
him in a voice of thunder: ''What do
you mean by hopping all over this yard
to tend those switches? There are two
switches by your door. Do you tend
them, and don't you let me hear of
your touching any more But VIII
liam Mack, true and tried, will remain
faithful at his post while he lives. He
covers the same amount of work as be-
fore, and has never made a mistake
during all these years he has been
throwing switches"