The Somerset reporter., 1886-03-10
OUR TRAVELLING MAN.


WATCHING HE OPERATIONS of BIG
Hight AGAINST HEAVY >roRM-fif
NEW ELECTRIC SYSTEM raED oN RAIL
WAY cARs-TnE CARD FRIEND uN TIE
RAIInoAps-fHE POLITICAL AND rnYsi-
cal DOWNFALL or \ FORMER oiIIzEN OF
MANI.
To enc who has never Witnessed the
inside workings Of the machinery Of n
great railroad, the insight To it is most in
tcrcsting and douby 50 when it i
strained Ia it., utmost limit to overcome
great obstacles. was especially fortn-
nate in the recent blockade. in getting in
to MIR. Aldcns Office at Waterville, where
the operation Of all trains between Ban
gor and Augusta and Lewiston and Wa
teryille were conducted No one who
has not been thus favored has any idea of
the details which have to be looked after
to III Ike such a campaign successful.
Everything would be a. calm a II sum
mer'S day when without word of warn
ing would come the word, that some body
was of the iron and a wrecking train
must be dispatched to the scene at once.
Engines, plows. Scrapcrs. engineers, fire
men, conductors, Workmcn and ShoYcls,
must be provided quicker than il takes 10
tell il. The men must also hayc stock
provisions put aboard. The necessary
''ordcrs" must Doe telegfaphed for the en-
ginccrs and conductors mu>t sign and
retain copies Of tho orders. all Of which
haze Mr. Halls O. X. upon them. This
crew Is no more than started than anoth-
cI is called for. and it must furnished.
Word must also he sent 10 the families Of
the conductor, aud engines, when they
arr gone, for il will not do 10 have an en-
ginecr bothering his head over how hi
| family will know where he is
THEIR MfNp Mtsr Re FlEE
from such worry FOR they have too much
responsibility resting upon them. But
/ have not spoken of the questions that
/ have to be answcred-and am sorry to
admit that most Of them are terribly fool
/ ish ones. and the only excuse | can ofci
! is that people who are uneasy are usually
unreasonable. If had time should
| like to write book entitled the "humor>
of "A blockade" Ii would be an I'M
menscly Interesting volume, even II
did write it. The dispatches sent to Mr..
| Tucker and the answers would he iln'
menscly Interesting reading. The alleged
| dispatch which some one Is credited with
sending, aud Mr.. fuckers reply to the eff
/ feet that the Almighty might give the de
sired information but lie could not. il al
bOsh. No such messages were sent or re-
cciyed. The yarn arose from this
About ii O'Clock Sunday morning, Mr.
Eugene F. Clapp, of Boston, clustered IN
/ to the station at Cumberland Junction
and asked If there was any way to gel
at" Mr. Tucker. Conductor Phlbrooh
replied that there was, and he could com
municate with him if he desired, where
upon he wrote an earnest, but very re-
spectful dispatch, and in reply received
this:
You viii be brought to Portland at the earlies
possible moment Everything that human ppwc
can do is being done 10 break the blockade.
PAfsoN Tucker
Monday Conductor Mace tclcgraphct
that his snow pillow had gone into tia
dock Mt Belfast, and his engine was hal
way over the wharf In reply Mr.. Tnck
or said Don't let 20 your hold on the en-
CINE
If some one didn't ask Mr.. Alden n
least twice every ten minutes when dc
YOU think train will leave for he 90
uneasy and thought the passengers hat
got dshcartcned.
The answers made to these questions
while always respectful were also sener
ally laconic When fellow from Bel
fast rushed in and asked, lis Mace off TIN
iron?' Mr.. Alden replied, II can't tel
whether Mace is on or OFF, but know hi
engine has gone to the devil.
The scene in the office referred to, wa
one of the distributing points rs it were
In Portland in the train dispatchcrs of
flee sat Messrs. Tucker \ Hall overlook
ing all the operations of the entire road
They were omniprcsent for days an
nights until the danger was passed, am
to their trclcss watching is due the earl
breaking of the worse storm known her
for 90 years.