The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-20
TRICKY MIGHT OPERATORS.
How Railroad Telezraphers Used &c
Get Little sleeps.
FROM the Ne,o York Tribun.

~A~N @NoAAA Od0 Lclo&IdD10T5 OSo0 10
Get Little sleeps.
From the NeD York Tribune
The most undesirable work and the least
remunerative among telegraphers is that OF
night operator at some lonely station on q
railroad. The rules Of the company require
that these men shall remain awake at their
posts from p. m. tall q. m. to report pass
ing trains and to receive ard deliver such
orders as 1t may be necessary to convey to
engineers and conductors 10 regulate the
movement of their trains.
On double-track roads their presence at
their posts is of great importance only in
emergencies, and 10 be sure that they are
always on hand system OF signaling is in
vogue on most roads by which every opera
tor is required to report by wire to head
quarters every half-hour during the night.
On the Central railroad of New Jersey if
teen years ago the headquarters Of the night
dispatcher were at E izabeth, the wire signal
of the Office being *. l." Every half-hour
in the night the despatcher's operator would
sound on the wire the signal "Six, six, six,
X. l." and each operator on the line from
New Jersey to Phillipsburg would have to
sound his Office signal in turn, beginning
with ~. c." and ending with 'P." II all
the responses came the operator at tx. l."
would say 20. K. and another half hour
of dreary silence would intervene
The operator at Somerville was on terms
of intimate Friendship with the one at
Hampton junction, and they arranged to
sound each others signals on alternate
nights so that the one for whom the other
acted could sleep. 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 the south
bound tracks, and the operator there in
vented an ingenious device by which he
could go to sleep, and yet be awakened
whenever train should pass.
Taking two stout cords he ran one out
over the window and under the platform to
one OF the rails of the south-bound track,
TO which he tied it. The other was run in a
similar way and tied to the north-bound
track. Inside the office he made loop in
each OF the cords at a convenient hight.
Leaning back in his chair, with his head
pillowed on a shelf, he put his right foot
through one 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 jerky suddenness that would
have thrown him out OF the chair had not
his other foot bsen tied. Then a message
would go to headquarters like this: IS. o
x. l. N. G.. No. 20, eng. As, lis a. m, ,
meaning that Somerville reported north
bound train No. %, drawn by engine No
As, passing at lis a. m.
The string was tied to the rail again, an
other loop made, and the operator soon wa,
| dreaming once more. If the left foot fell j
was a north-bound train, if the right one
south-bound, a glance at the clock showing
what train was due according to the SEIZED
| ule.
Another operator used to fill coal scut.
tie with coupling pius old scraps of iror
and tin, an fasten it high from the floor tx
string tied TO the rails. When a traiI
came along the scuttle would fall with
crash loud enough almost to be heard a.
the dispatcher's headquarters.
On the Belvldere Delaware division o.
the Pennsylvania road, where balloon sig
nails are used, SIGH devices are nots.available
aud the operators must remain awake
every moment of the long night. Th,
Bel. De - as it is called, is a single-tracl
road, and orders are frequent during the
night to regulate the movement of trains.
1t is over this division that the Pennsyl-
vania's heavy coal traffic is brought dowr
to Trenton and Perth Amboy. The balloon
signal is an oblong hoiio W canopy made Of
red flannel aad kept In shape by circular
iron hoops. By double cord attachment
connecting with the operators table it can
| be lowered or raised at will
If lowered, it is danger signal that NJ
train dares to pass. II raised, the signal il
''no orders; go ahead on schedule time.
| At night white lantern is hung under tbs
| balloon, which, when lowered, shows a rec
| light through thu red fanRei. IL raised, the
white light shows, signalling tnat every
thing lis all right"
The orders Of the company are that tt,
balloon must be kept down at all times, day
and night, showing the red signal. and only
raised when a train approaches for which
no orders have been received. Thus a ter
rible responsibility falls upon the operator
who has complete control Of the signal. i
he receives an order for train and forget.
| it, or becomes confused and raises the sig
nal. the result is sure to be collision.
Fortunately, the operators on that dfvir-
ion are faithful men, who evidently never
slept on duty. Perhaps q sense OF the re
| sponsbility keeps them awake. The oper
tor at Washington's crossing, just abov'
| Trenton, nearly score of years ago, was q
! young boy, who could not resist the tempta
sions during the day. AS rule he wa;
most powerfully inclined to sleep at night
Twice be did so and was thea diseha rged.
| The first occasion resulted in the wreck of &
| coal train, and the other in breaking
freight train in two. The coal train stopped
on the heavy grade, seeing bhe signal down
and the engineer, csming in for orders
found the boy sound asleep. He woke hin
roughly, aud in deep anger started agar
| for his engine.
Being angry, he started up too quickly
| and broke up coupling on the tenth car
the engine and the ten cars starting down
the grade very fast. of brakes" had beer
whistled and the second section coming on
crashed into the first, piling up a dozen cars
Almost the same thing happened to the
freight, and the operator was allowed t.