Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-02-20
TAKING GRAVE CHANCES.
CARELESS RAILWAY EMPLOYEES WHO
ENDANGERED HUMAN LIFE.

IArELESc HALLWAY EMPLOYEES WHO
ENDANGERED HUMAN LIFE.
RnnnlnE Another Traiu's Tims-Hew
the sleepy Headed Operator Got Iaso
Trouble and oat Of 1.-THE Confessions
of T~legraph~r.
was formerly agent for the West Shore
road at little station few miles east OF
Amsterdam, n. Y. work train, consisting
of am engine and number ef fiat cars, was
employed on the SECTION near my station.
Each night they were expected to drop the
fat cars On some of the sidings In that vicinity
and lay the engine up for ,he night at Am
stersiatn. On the day Ia question the train
had b.sen working later than usual. and when
the time came 10 quit they found that they
were tres1asSing On the tim. of passenger
train. Instead Of tagging themselves 10 my
station according 10 rules, they took chances
aud came flying down at the rate of forty
miles NH hour, showed two cars on the siding,
and ruShed of for Amsterdam in front Of the
passenger train, only seven minutes ahead Of
her time, when their limit was ten.
RIDING TO DEATH.
The engine was going backward and in
of the passenger they would have to make
the run three minutes quicker than she did.
BY the time they got out Of sight they were
fairly flying Eye witnesses Of the occurrence
told me II took them just six minutes to come
from the place where they were working,
throw in the two flats, and get taek-a dis
tanco for the round trip Of seven miles
When the engine reached "a curve about
half way between my station and Amsterdam
the tender left the track, and both were
thrown into ditch bottom upward The
engineer was killed and the conductor ~
badly scalded that for a long time his life was
in danger; but, there being strain u hero
ism mixed with his reclIcssil,ssss, iie craw l,Si
ON his hands and knees bnck to curve and
with rel light signalled the oaico.nng pas
senger train to stop He was found inssn.
sible from his Injuries when the train pullexi
up. The track was torn up for a distance OF
twenty yarsts, and but for the fact that had
notified the passenger engineer to be on the
lookout, and iii. conductors haroisn, an al,-
palling catastrophe wtuld have resulted.
don't suppose the passengers ever realized
how near they came u meeting their God
that day, AMI ! was informed that the com
pany did not oven compliment Tia. conductor
for his bravery. 10 say nothing Of paying Iis
doctor bills
THE OPERATOR sLEPT.
One OF my telegrspl friends workesi on a
Missouri railroad few years ago. He was
10 years old at that time There were only
three stations on his division where the pas.
senger trains stop. .scd ami at Bonneville,
where he was operator, the conductors regis
tered their trains rs they passed He had re-
ceived AN order 70 hag and hold the east
bound passenger for oriers, but after repeat
ing the order he forgot 10 put out his flag
and aftsrward fell asIeep. The train arrived
was registered by the conductor, and de
parted The westbonnd train had orders Il
run from Fayetts, the next station east, Il
Bonneville, regardless VI No. 4 gthe eaStbound
trainl. Their orders were already signed
and 50 far as the dispatcher knew, they wers
then on their way TO bonneville. He called
Bonneville, but gnt no response He called
again and again, and finally my friend, ia.
operator, awoise and answered
rs No. in sightf' he inquired.
NO.
.Well, you go oat on the platform and ses
II you can hear any thing OF them
My friend went out, looked up and siowI
the track, bat could see nothing On his wa,
back to the instrument he glanced at tn
register, saw that they hal left while he wa
asleep, aud hurried 10 the wire
They're gone. was all he had strength
10 say.
"You better take to the woods said tn,
dispatcher III | can't catch them at Fay
etts you'll see trouble"
Then he called Fayette hard aud fast. "I
|, came the answer.
Can you catch No 3fn
~ guess 20; III try"
Then the wirs opened and the dispatches
and the miserable youngster at Boonevill,
waited with bated breath 10 know the fate o
a hundred unsusnecting human beings who's,
lives they hal put IN jeopardy. At last Il
came;
pulling OUT
The dispatcher's hand dropped from hi
key and his whole body shook with the reac
tion. while perspration streemed from every
pore. The operator at Bonneville nearly
tainted away, but quickly recovered, ant
opening his key, said: Here's my re&gna
ton. I'm going 10 skip out"
NO: don't say word about IL, and I'll ds
likewise was the dspatehers reply, and nc
one but the operators ever knew of H.
For tan years was working as night opar
ator at a small station near the Pennsylvania
border. Night after night would fall ASLEEP
and fail to report trains, receiving only q
slight reprimand from the dispatcher, which
| knew would be repeated ad iniinitum with
out nything more serious coming of it. Al
sorts OF excuses were invented by the oper.
ators to account for their attacks Of sieeps
ness, and some l,nysalf among theml diini
even take the trouble 10 excuse themselves
/ know Of Que operator who made regular
practice Of pulling his old mattress up before