Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-08-07

to him by those who heard it as a speech
worthy of Curran or Erskine.
EARLY RAILROADING.
An Amusing Story About the Origin of the
Bell-Rope.
The recent change of gauge on the
various southern railroads recalls many
Incidents of early railroading,
writes an Atlanta correspondent of the
New York Tribune. The old Georgia
road was one of the first built in this
country, and the men who constructed it
all came from New York and Pennsyl-
vania. George Adair, Of Atlanta, tells
with great gussc of the origin, Of the
bel-rope, which is in ltseelf an incident
worthy of preservation.
At the time the Erie railroad extended
from Piermont, on the Hudson, over to
Port Jervis, on the Delaware, old Disk
Ayers was q conductor on the line. They
ran mixed trains in those days-one or
two freight cars, couple of 'gondolas,"
and q cabooee and passenger car at che
rear end Of the train. Ayers had for an
engineer q rough old English oockney,
who srrogated unto himself a good deal
of authority, and felt that he had as
much to say about how the train should
be run as Conductor Ayers had. So
when Ayers would wave his hand to the
engineer to starr sometimes the English
man would obey the signal and some
times he wouldn't It was pretty much
the same way about stopping the train.
Once in while the engineer got his
temper up and would run by station
when he knew that Ayers had passen-
gers to get off there.
Finally one day, after cudgeling bis
brain, Conductor Ayers hit upon q plan
for adjusting all the difficulties. he
procured stout Irvine and fastened 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 q
stick Of frewood on the floor of the cab
near Engineer Williams feet.
"Now, when I pull the cord, Will
iams," said Ayers, ''that means you are
to stop. Dye hear"
Hi don't like these ERE blarsted new
waysp was the engineers only comment
as Ayers left the engine and went back
to the passenger coach.
Coming down from Middleton to Otis
vile the train was rolling along at a
pretty lively pace, when Ayers discover
ed he had passenger for the station
now known as Howelrs. He reached up
and gave the cord hard tug just as the
whistle blew for the station. Unfortu-
nstely Ayers pulled the string a little
too hard, for the stick of fire wood to
which it was attached few up and hit
Williams severe blow on the shin, TAX
ing 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 slowed up to take
water at 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
bis face as he turned to the engineer and
said: "Now, here, Williams, the next
time I pull that string if you don't stop
h., %yos kh4 al -,
to take q ickin'."
Williams vouchsafed no reply and Ay-
ers went back to his place. At Guymard
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. Ayers came up
to the engine with his coat and vest of.
'Come down, Williams" he cried. VIII
liam came, similarly equipped for fight,
and they pitched in. The odds were on
the engineers side, for he was the heavier
man of the two, but Ayers proved to have
the best wind and Williams finally called
enough he was minus part Of a fn-
ger, which Ayers had chewed of, and
both eyes were closed up. Ayers was
not in much better condition. As soon
rs they were able to resume their work
Ayers got in q new cord, and it is scarce
y necessary to add that Williams al
ways obeyed the signal. This was the
origin of the bell rope now considered in
Ayers died only recently,
and Mr.. Adair, who tells this story, at
tended the funeral. Capt. Adair was the
first conductor that ever brought rail-
road train into Atlanta, which was then
own of about thirty inhabitants, and the
people objected to the railroad being
quilt because they feared the smoke
rom the enginee would soil the clean
clothes when the weekly washing was
hung out to dry!
Historic Ground for Sale.
new York World.
On July % will be sold at auction,
With its entire estate of 10, 500 acres, sew
,ral whole villages and valuable manors,
h. f,,oo,,o H., ,bkon Ho11 %ha mo ~v,osE