Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-14
The plsPArcHERs.
An Important Parl Of the Operative Force Of
tho Railways Of Texas.

WV hahhole W ltAdts
One Of the men least heard Of mud
one upon whom deyolycs pcrhaps
more responsibility thnn N thrown upon
nliy man In the operating department.
oil the railways Is the train-dispntcher.
lie must be- cool, clear-hradcd ouiclt
nhd ready 20 decide an important dups-
ton nt moments notice when n mo-
lnVuluty delny may moan the loss OF
property and possibly the loss of vnlua-
pig hYee' lic must be steady Of nerve,
ana quick Of brain aud for this ren-
son cannot indulge In the flowing howl
stion ~
M trains nowadays are moved ontlre-
" hy the train wire. Before The dis-
phtcher came into prominence tho trains
used TO be run by schedule and man
lhnt was due 10 meet another nj n Ger
talh point would not mOyo his train until
he heard from the other fellow FOR
certain length Of time, after which no
would pun out and run slowly aud cure.
iuUy to the next station or until he mot
the other train. II frequently occurred
thnt trains were laid ont for hours mud
when man started ont Ia che morning
~ WINS n0t at all certain he would
get TO the end OF his division for ann
per- especially II he had TO keep out Of
the way of superior trains
Now all this ~ changed. The Light
nlhgs Hash informs the dispatcher nj
what moment n certain train left a GER
IAN station hound up and at what mo-
mont one left station bound down
lie knows whore ench trim on The road
~ all the time and II for any cause one
y laid out an engine breaks down, or
Tor any cnuse fails 90 make time the ON
orator Is aware OF the delay az once ana
knows how far he can move tho oppOs-
lng lrnin before u will meet the hrst
one When a train receives clear
nnce order from Ol0 station, That order
givea II tho right Of way TO the next
stallion and the opposing train Is no.
tined that No. l3 has left Wny In atn.
ton nj 1915 II should be due at Low
Down at 1910, and The opposing train
y ordered 10 rim TO Low Down 20 meet
NO ~, The opposing train, or No. "a.
ior instance runs to Low Down and
takes the siding for No. ~ or II Il IL
superior traiu, that Is, n tho direction
IN which Il ~ going gives II the right
of-WAy, II romans on tho main limo for
The arrival Of No. IL. II 10 fails TO ar
rive on time the dispatcher Is notified
and the Inference IL that something ~
wrong stu No. IN u not allowed TO
move. IL No 10 breaks down or meets
with any cause for delay ilagmen are nt
once sent our 20 the front aud rear, and
~ the trouble Is ono that cnnnOt be
remedied nc once or N Il Is a wreck,
ono Of the trninmen, usually the con-
durtor, proceeds TO tho station nenrost
the point of accident and wires the dis
pntcher II may be a simple case Of de-
Ia which event No. IA probably
receives orders 90 sidetrack her train
aud proceed 10 tho point at which tho
accident occurred. In the meantime.
there are probably forty or fifty trains on
The line which must be kept moving and
al are s0ol aware that No 13 IL In tho
oh no d. 81. =.
moved each way as rapidly aa possible
with rognrd 10 setting them past the
wreck as soon rs the road Il clear
10 sometimes happens that our train
No. 10, will have lcft the lust station
for q meeting point nt SOME siding where
there Is no telegraph Office and before e
gets on the siding 10 clear for the 9TH
pr train which Is not supposed to siop,
has an accident. IN this event the flag
man Is sent ont with torpedOes and flnRa
lO flag down No ~.
Columns could be written telling Of the
respohsible work Of u train dispatcher
ana yet the average reader would not
thoroughly understand a. Few people
riding on q train ever pause 20 think That
heir lives are in the hands Of some pale
nced dispatcher perhaps a hundred
miles away who Is keeping an accu-
'nte record Of the whereabouts Of their
rain, The few wrecks that occur ON
ne lines running into Fort Worth can
% attributed In no small degree 10 the
borough efficiency Of the train dispatch
'rs, who are 40 follows:
Fort Worth and Denyer--J. g. Ballard,
'hief dispatcher
Fort Worth and Rio Grande @.
3ugg, chief, j. ~. Stack
Union Depot Joint TFack.-G Il. John.
ION, chief, II. -. Benson, q. II. Hall,
y u, McCabe. dispntcherA.
Union Depot. Relay Office q. 70. Mes.
hief; Paul Jamiaon. w. u. WoodsOn,
robert Cook Geo ComStock, Dispatch
ms.
Texas and Pacific, Rio Grande Divis-
On ". j. Iadmer. chief, w. J. Lewis,
. w. Young diapatchers; II. p. Cullen,
peratOr.
City Office, Texas aud Pacific Mack
Vheelihan operator.
City Office, Santa re Roufo-,J. N.
inswold. operator
City Once, Missouri, Kanaaa and Tex
- w. ~ FroomAn. operator
Santa Re Depot w. Hickey n. ii.
Denver Dspot. a. ~ aud d. II. Essyd.
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