Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-15
A TRYING WORK.

The duties of no class of men have n
closer relation to human life than do
thee of The train dispatcher. The light
ming manipulation who is trying TO crowd
the hanHnUn out of business thinks he
has worked wonders when he has dis
patched one man across the StyN by
pressing the button, but the train dis.
patchcr may. by similar process, XIII and
mangle a scDre or a hundred and never
suspect that he has wrought n miracle
He presses the button; electricity, sta
ton agents. conductors. engineers, en-
gines. signals and switches unite TO do
The rest Tho conductor and engineer
are credited 10y the public with great re-
sponsihility, hut they run ouly one train
while the disptcher runs all the trains
there dre on the road In fact the dis
patchcr runs the conductors and engi-
neers. His name does NOT appear in the
official railway guide along with those
of tho president, the manager. the super
intendent aud other funCtinnnries; but
If il were not for him they would all
be hunting jobs He Is not mcntipned
by the BULLS and bears of the stock ok
change but If he aId his crowd were to
quit business there would be n financial
collapse compared with which that Of the
famous "blacf Friday would not be n
circumstance. While the men who scr-c
cars or hobnobbing together over their
rates and pools. the train dispatcher is
hidden aw ~ somewhere by himself in a
dingy little room running the railroad.
They are ON the throne, hut he Il Is who
works the wires from hehinds the throne.
He is modest and retiring. but he moves
Il large part of the world.
When the compleXity and the eXacting
character Of his duties are considered Il
"A 1. Il ~ tll..
Is responsible for so few accidents. II
not infrcquently happens that one train
dispatcher directs the movements of
more than one numbered trains within
eight hours on road with but n single
track These trains comprise regular
passenger and freight trains, specials,
extras, trains running in sections, wOrl;
trains, "hclpers" and engines az work
In yard limits some going IN one direc-
ton and some in the other some moving
rapidly and others slowly, some on the
main line and some on connecting
branches. The dispatcher must not only
have at his command the schedule of
every train for which there Is a schedule
hut must be so familiar with road and
It's grades and curves as 10 be able 10
make, almost at q moments notice,
schedule for a special OF any specified
length and weight, lie must know the
number OF cars euCh u'nn contains ana
the number each side track will accom-
mOdatc, and not order more cars on any
siding than il will ccntain must know
the dtsrination OF all freight cars aud
what orders have been given 70 each
train in regard 10 doing work, switching,
setting on or taking on cars along the
line, etc, and be able 10 calculate closely
the time the train will be detained.
Some trains win be on time and some
behind time; some that are late viii make
up time and others win lose fast trains
win oyertake slow ones and provision
must be made for them 10 pass and the
tracks must be Kept clear for those that
have the right OF way.
These facts give some indication OF
the problems the dispatcher has 70 solve
daily, failure IN the exact solution %
which involves tho destruction OF human
have the right-of-way
Nowhere does the efficiency Of system
show itself TO better advantage than N
the disnatcher's office. IL Is the appli.
cation Of s0tem, added 70 the eternal
vigilance and alertness Of the dispatcher
that makes railroad passengers ana ran
road property safe TIE first nlle I'll
the system & that all time talle pas-