Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-22
TRICKS en- 0pER TORS.
RAILROAD TEL EcRaFtEHs USED TO
GET a LITTLE SLEEP.


a. Possible Explanation " sone Terrible
wfceks Host bEen neaiize TIC Grave
aesponsibllity which Il Upon Them- A
lsos's Costly sleep
she most undesirable work ana The least
remuneratiye among photographers Is mat
OF night operator * SOME lonely station on
nrailfead lle rqles III thc company rc-
qnire that theee men shah femain awake
at their posts from b. "a tiil 7a ~. to
report pFng tfaiiis, ana To receive aud
deliver su1h ofiier as ~ may he necessary
10 convey " enHineer aud cnnanctars TO
double tlack roafis their presence ST their
posts iaof great iapogtancu only iii enler-
Rencies.and io III iiu they arc always on
haiid 4 aysiem 81 signaling IS III vogue
on most foads By which every operator is
Required ~ rcpost In ware ID headquarters
every bali hour dining tie Night
en- the Central Railroad 81 New Jersey
fifteen years ago tic headquarters Of the
might dispatcher was at Elizabeth, the
vino signal ~ Tie office Being tx ip
Every half honr ID The night the dis
pntcher's operator would sound Oh the
wire tine Aigntl IA, aix, six, X /, and
each operator On Gle line from Jersey City
to philllpsbQrR would have % sound his
Office signal inturn beginning with . o.
and Guiding with tsPn lfall the responses
canie tile operator At II III would say
70. x, and another half hour Of dreary
silence would intervene ~.
ONE SERENE no SLEEP
The operator at SoiherYille was on terms
or intimate friendship with the ore 1T
Hampton Junction, and they Arranged to
sound each others signals on alternate
nights, 50 that the one for whom the other
acted could sIeep. Each, however had to
attend to the reporting Of the trains that
passed his station. The station at Somer-
vile was between the north and south
bound tracks, anti the operator there I'M
vented an ingenious device by which he
could 20 to eleep and yet be awakened
whenever a train should pass.
Taking two stout cords, be ran orc out
over tie window ana under the platform
to one Of The rails Of the south bound track,
20 which lie tied II. The other was run
Iii q similar Way, and tied to the narth
bound track. Inside the office he made d
loop in each Of the cords at convenient
height, Leaning back in his chair with
his head pillowed GA q shelf, he put his
right foot through ono loop and his left
through the other, both feet being about
on Level with his head Then he slept.
A north bound train came along cut the
string, and his left foot fell down with a
jerlxy suddenness Bat would have thrown
him out 81 the chair had bis other foot not
been tied Then a message would 10 to
headquarters like this, "S, O. H., /. N. O.,
No 2S, eng AS. lib, meaning that Somer-
VILE reported, north bound train No 23,
draws BY engine NO 80 passing at 1918 q.
40. The string was tied 70 tte rail again,
another loop made aud the operator soon
was dreaming once more II the left foot
fellit wasa north bound train; If the right
one, u south bound--a glance at the clock
showing what train was duo according to
The schedule
Another operator used to fiji a coal scut-
tle With coupling pins OH scraps Of iron
and tin, and fasten IL high from the floor
10 string tied to tho Rails. when train
came along the seuttle would full with
crash loud enongh almost to DO heard at
the dispatcher's headquarters.
Il n0Yis EEaIIGgNcE
On The Belyidere Delaware division Of
the PENNSYLVANIA road, where balloon Sig
nails are ised such devices arc not availa
bio, and the operators must remain awake
every mpmcnt OF tile long night. Tho
.'Bel Del, as it Is eallad, is a single
track road, and orders are frequent during
the night to regulate the moycrnent Of
trains 10 IL over this division that the
pennsylyania's heavy coal traffic is
brought down TO Trenton mud TO Perth
Ambey, The balloon signI is an oblong
hollow canopy mado ~ red flannel, and
kept ii shape BY cilcHlar iron hoops
BY double cord attachment connecting
with the opsssttor's table II can be lowered
Or raised at will II lowered it Is danger
signni that 10 train dares to pass If rails
cd the signal is NO orders; go, ahead on
schedule time. Atnight a white lantern
is hung under the balloon, which when
lowered shows q rod light through the red
flannel II raised the white light shows,
signaling that evera thing is "all wight"
The orders Of 800 company are THAT the
balloon must be kent down at III times
day aud night Growing the red signal, and
only raised when d train approaches for
which no orders have been received. Thus
a terrible responsibility falls upon the
operator who has complete control Of the
signal. II he receives an order for q train
and forgets It, or becomes confused and
IalACS hAt alA4iltttB AAtN ltnAAt ~ NNlt w w u
collision Fortunately the operators on
that division are faithful men, who evil
IDENTIFY never sleep on duty. Perhaps q
sense Of the responsibility keeps them
awake Tho operator ut Washington
crossing, iustahovc Trenton, nearly a score
Of years ago was young boy, who could
not resist the temptation to run about TO
picnicS and on cScarions during the day
Az rule nc Nras most powerfully inclined
to sleep at night. Twice he did so, and
was then discharged
The FIRST occasion resulted in the wreck
OF Il coal train, and the other Ia breaking
freight train IN two. The coal train stopped
on the heavy grade seeing thesignal down,
and the engineer coming in for orders
found the boy sound asleep. HewoSe him
roughly and IN deep anger started again
for his engine. Being angry he started up
too quickly, and broke a coupling on the
tenth car, tlie engine and the ten cars
starting down the grade very fast. coz
brakes had been whistled, and the second
section coming on cgslshed into the FIRST
piling up dozen cara Almost the same
thing happened to Tie freight, and the
young operator was allowed TO look for a
day iob-on some other road.-New York
Tribune.
several Versions of a Maxim.