Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-03-04


heavy and light, then with hori-
zontal lines at irregular distances, and
stretched over the surface on which these
lines were traced with silk threads, red,
blue and yellow, running diagonally in
At first glance it looked like a great cob
had been entangled in it. An explana-
ton followed. The vertical lines divided
the great chart into the twenty-four
hours of day; these spaces again in
half-hour and quarter-hour spaces, and
the latter still into five-minute spaces.
The horizontal lines were less numer-
Gus and less regular. Commencing at
the top line, which represented Chicago,
each horizontal line represented town
on the Northwestern, between Chicago
and Clinton, the latter being the bottom
line of the chart. Thus all the hours
and minutes of the day were shown by
one set of lines, and all the stations Of
one hundred and thirty miles of road
were shown by the others. "Now, as to
the silk threads" said Mr.. Miller, s'they
simply represent trains. The red
threads represent passenger, blue
threads freight, and yellow threads Sum
day trains. Trains running west are
shown by threads drawn over this chart
from left to right downward, while
trains running east are shown by
threads drawn from left to right up
ward" Thus it viii be seen that the
two sets of threads must cross each 9TH
er somewhere on the face of this chart
This, then, is the key to the whole
scheme, for wherever two threads cross
there two trains meet.
''Now. it has been fully demonstrated
that it is injurious and dangerous for
trains to meet between stations on a
single track; so it becomes necessary for
the expert in arranging those threads to
make them cross each other over a hori-
zontal line, which, remember, indicates
a town on the railroad. This is done by
means of common pins. A blue thread
freight train) is pinned fast to the chart
at some town, and is then pulled little
to the right or left, or up or down, to
make it cross the next red thread (pas-
senger) over horizontal line Ga town.
In the same manner all the threads
red, blue and yellow-are continually
diverged from their course by means of
these pins. These pins are used until
the one hundred or more threads, the
trains of a day, are made to intersect
each other directly over some of the for
ty or fifty lines indicating the stations.
large and small, between Chicago and
Clinton.
"This chart, then, after being entirely
arranged, is the basis of the familiar
time-card or table The contents of the
timetable for all regular trains are writ
ten from this chart by consulting the
hours and minutes at the top and the
stations at the side. The work of pre-
pairing this chart is not arbitrary, nor is
it guess work. The ''pins are stuck by
one who has almost perfect knowledge
of the line of the road, the topography
of the country, the grades and curves,
the watering and coaling stations, and
all other things that tend to affect the
speed of trains.''
"Where does the train-dispatching
come imp asked the reporter.
The expert replied that, theoretically.
all trains were supposed to be governed
by the time-card only; that, if there
were no outside incidents, the trains
could all be started on given day and
would run like clock, with every train
in its place. ''Such is largely the case
with our passenger trains said Mr..
Miller. "Their regularity is such on
this division that, excepting severe
storms, the trains are exact with the
time-card at all points-exact enough
so that clocks and watches may be set
by their arrival, and not vary more than
two or three seconds Wild trains are
also run without aid from the wires. A
conductor ordered to run wild train
from Chicago to Freeport, for instance,
does so on his knowledge of the where
abouts and movements of all other
trains on the line between those
points, The rules which are observed
between trains are as follows:
As between passengers and freight,
the former always has the right of way.
As between two passenger trains, the
east-bound, toward Chicago, has the
right of way. AS between two freights,
the one headed toward Chicago likewise
has the right of way. This leaves the
freight going west with the fewest rights
of any train on the road, 1t is in the
handling of the freight train, largely,
that the train-dispatcher finds his work.
Every day finds fully double as many
| freights on the move over the line as are
on the time card. These start at ir-
regular times and various places. They
need help. The dispatcher lifts them
along little by little. When wild
freight or a belated regular freight lacks
perhaps two or three or five minutes
time to make a certain meeting point,
| a dispatch goes along the wire-''No. IL
| wild will meet Sc at Dixon" This dis
patch goes to both train conductors, and
| is repeated back to the central office by
both, and is then wired 30. K" by the
| dispatcher.
| Thus the train that wanted few min
| utes' help, received it, and but for that
aid would have stood on the side-track
an hour, and perhaps would have been
unable to get along at all. The train
| dispatcher's office is a very important
| one. He handles trains on an entire
division as a player would handle his
pieces of chess. He must be Argus
eyed. He must be an expert with pen
and key. Must have the entire working
of all trains in his mind at all times; be
able to locate any and every train in an
instant His duties often require dis
| patch every two or three minutes, and
each order involves lives and property
of great value. On his judgment, and
good sense, and accuracy depend the
successful running of three-fourths OF
the trains on the company's tracks
Chicago Journal.
Mr.. Batres, the new inspector OF
| ,~oh,,o1orioal monuments has made a