The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-08-12
EARLY RAILRoAplNo.
An Amusing story Abouts the Origin
of the Bcll-Rope. I'll

An Amusing story Abouta the origin
of the Bcll-Rope.
i The recent change of gauge op the
various southern railroads recalls many
Interesting incidents 81 early railroad
ing. writes an Atlanta correspondent
of The Neso York Tribune. The old
Georgia road was one of the first built
in this country, and the men who con-
structed it oil came from New York
and Pennsylvania. George Adair. of
Atlanta. tells with great gusto of the
origin of the bell-rope, which is in
itself an incident worthy of preserva-
ton.
At the time the Erie railroad extend
ed from Piermont, on the Hudson, over
to Port Jervis, on the Delaware. old
"Dick" Ayers was conductor on the
line. They ran mixed trains in those
days-one or two freight cars, couple
of "gondolas, and a caboose and
passenger car at the rear end of the
train. Ayers had for an engineer
rough old English cockney, who AFRO
gated unto himself good deal of auth
ority, and felt that he had as much to
say about how that train should be run
rs Conductor Ayers had. So when
Ayers would wave his hand to the en-
ginecr to start sometimes the English
man would obey the signal and some
times he wouldn't 1t was pretty much
the same way about stopping the train.
Once in while the engineer got his
temper up and would run by a station
when he knew that Ayers had passen-
gers to get off there.
Finally one day, after cudgeling his
brain, Conductor Ayres hit upon plan
for adjusting all the difficulties. He
procured stout Irvine and fastend one
end to the rear platform of the passen-
ger-coach and then carried the string
forward and tied the other end of it to
a stick of tirewood on the floor of the
cab near Engineer Williams feet
Now. when pull the chord, Will
iams," said Ayers, 'that means for you
to stop Dye hear?"
eli don't like these ere blarsted new
waysw was the engineers only COM
ment, as Ayers left the engine and
went back to the coach.
Coming down from Middleton to
Otisville the train was rolling along at
a pretty lively pace. when Ayers dis
covered he had a passenger for the sta
ton now known as Howells. He
reached up and gave the cord hard
tug just as the whistle blew for the sta
ton. Unfortunately Ayers pulled the
string too hard. for the stick of fire.
wood to which it was attached flew up
and hit Williams severe blow on the
shin, taking off some of the skin. This
angered the old man. and instead OF
blowing for brakes he "pulled her open
another notch, and the way he ratified
| through that town was a caution. The
people came to their windows to see
what was the matter. Of course Ayers
was mad. In the meantime Williams
had coolly cut the string and had slow
ed up to take water ut the tank two
miles above town. Ayers came out to
! the engine, climbed up and tied the
string fast to the stick again. There
was grim determination in his face as
he turned to the engineer and said:
| "Now, here, Williams, the next time l
pull that string if you don't stop this
train one or the other of us has got to
| take Il lickin'."
Will ans vouchsafed no reply and
Ayres went back to his place., At Guy
mard he pulled the string again, but as
before the engineer took no notice of
| the signal, and the train never came to
stop until Port Jervis was reached.
Ayres came up to the engine with his
| coat and vest off "Come down, Will
liams," he cried. Williams came. sim
| ilarly equipped for fight, and they
| pitched in. The odds were on the en-
| gineer's side. for he was the heavier
man of the two, but Ayres proved to
have the best wind and Williams finally
called "enough!' He was minus part
of Il finger. which Ayres had chewed
off, and both eyes were closed up.
| Ayres was not in much better condi-
ton AS soon as they were able to re-
,sume thor work Ayres got in a new
| cord, and it is scarcely necessary to add
that Williams always obeyed the sig
nal. This was the origin of the bell
rope now considered indispensable.
Ayres died only recently, and Mr..
Adair, who tells this story, attended
the funeral. Capt. Adair was the first
conductor that ever brought a railroad
train into Atlanta, which was then a
town of about thirty inhabitants, and
the people objected to the railroad be-
ing built because they feared the smoke
from the engines would soil the clean
clothes when the weekly washing was
hung out to dry.