Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-11-28
TRICKS OF OPERATORS.
RAILROAD TELEGRAPHERs USED TO
GET A LITTLE SLEEP.

Possible Explanation of Some Terrible
Wrecks-aIost Men Realize the Grave
Responsibility Which Is Upon Them-A
Boys Costly Sleep
The most undesirable work and the least
remunerative among telegraphers is that
OF night operator at some lonely station on
railroad. The rules Of the company re
quire that these men shall remain awake
at their posts from Z p. IN. till a. m. to
report passing trains, and to receive and
deliver such orders as it may be necessary
to convey to engineer and conductors TIC
regulate the movement of their trains. On
double track roads their presence at their
posts is of great Importance only in emer
gencies. and to be sure they are always Oh
hand. A system of signaling is in vogue
on most roads by which every operator is
required to report by wire to headquarters
every half hour during the night.
On the Central Railroad of New Jersey
fifteen years ago the headquarters of the
night dispatcher was at Elizabeth, the
wire signal of the Office being tx L."
Every half hour in the night the dis
patcher's operator would sound on the
wire the signal Six, six, six, K l." and
each operator on the line from Jersey City
to Phillipsburg would have to sound his
Office signal in turn, beginning with 81 c.;
and ending with ''P." If all the responses
came the operator at ''K u would say
so. K" and another half hour of dreary
silence would intervene
ONE SCHEME TO SLEEP.
The operator at Somerviile was on terms
of intimate friendship with the one at
Hampton Junction, and they arranged to
sound each others signals Oh 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 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 similar way, and tied to the north
bound track Inside the office he made a
loop in each of the cords at convenient
height Leaning back in his chair, with
right foot through one loop and his left
through the other, both feet being about
on a level with his head. Then he slept.
A north bound train came along, cut the
string, and his left foot fell down with a
jerky suddenness that would have thrown
him out Of the chair had his other foot not
been tied. Then a message would go to
headquarters like this, IS. 0. X. l. n. g..
No. %, eng. As. l:1S,' meaning that Somer
vile reported, north bound train No. %,
drawn by engine No. As, passing at lis a.
m. The string was tied to the rail again
another loop made, and the operator soon
was dreaming once more. If the left foot
fell it was a north bound train; if the righl
one, a south bound-a glance at the clock
showing what train was due according tc
the schedule
Another operator used to fill coal scut-
tie with coupling pins, old scraps of iron
and tin, and fasten it high from the floor
to string tied to the rails. When q train
came along the scuttle would fall with a
crash loud enough almost to be heard at
the dispatcher's headquarters.
4 BOYS NEGLIGENCE.
On the Belvidere Delaware division OF
the Pennsylvania road, where balloon sig
nails are used. such devices are not availa-
bic, and the operators must remain awake
every moment of the long night. The
BEL. Dell" as it is called. is a single
track road, and orders are frequent during
the night to regulate the movement OF
trains 1t is over this division that the
Pennsylvania heavy coal traffic is
brought down to Trenton and to Perth
Amboy. The balloon signal is an oblong
hollow canopy made Of red flannel, and
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 no train dares to pass. If rails
ed the signal is mo orders; go ahead on
schedule time" At night white lantern
is hung under the balloon, which when
lowered shows red light through the red
flannel. If raised the white light shows,
signaling that everything is fall right"
The orders Of the company are that the
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 terrible responsibility falls upon the
operator who has complete control of the
signal. If he receives an order for train
and forgets it, or becomes confused and
raises the signal, the result is sure to be a
collision. Fortunately the operators on
that division are faithful men, who evil
IDENTIFY never sleep on duty. Perhaps a |
sense of the responsibility keeps them
awake. The operator at Washington
crossing, justabove Trenton, nearly score
of years ago was young boy, who could
not resist the temptation to run about to
picnics and on excursions during the day. |
As a rule he was most powerfully inclined
to sleep at night. Twice he did so, and
was then discharged.
The first occasion resulted in the wreck
of a coal train, and the other in breaking a |
freight train in two. The coal train stopped
on the heavy grade, seeing the signal down, |
and the engineer coming in for orders
found the boy sound asleep. He woke 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, the engine and the ten cars
starting down the grade very fast. "Off
brakes" had been whistled, and the second
section coming on crashed into the first,
piling up dozen cars. Almost the same
thing happened to the freight, and the
young operator was allowed to look for
day job-on some other road-New York
Tribune.
The First Steam Fire Engine.
AT the suggestion of the fire insurance
companies of New York city, machinist
named Paul Hodge, a resident of Gotham,
constructed a steam fire engine which
was first publicly tested in front of