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


There has been severe snow storm
between station l.. and trains from thnt
direction We're delayed considerably No
Z b. very fast train. Il left A 30 min.
utes late and stopped nc no station except
ID, remaining there only three minutes
and reaching l. only - minutes behind
time. No. 4, n passenger train. when on
time leaves l. nt 3:O3 and arrives at A nt
6:J5 q. m. On the morning of Dec. l6 Il
left J., IL will be seen. | hour and IL
minutes behind time. IL gained Al min.
utes, however and arrived at A only 30
minutes late. The train represented IN
the foregoing table as No. 131 was the
second section of q through freight bear.
ing that number. the fact that il was a
second section being indicated on the dis
patcher's sheet by a small figure above
and TO the left of the train number. No
l2O Is a stock express train. This also
was second section. Had No. and No
4 been on time they would have met be-
tween Il and !, where there Is what ~
known I'm railroad pGrlance as a "blind
siding that h sdo-trnck near which
there is no telegraph office; but taking
into account the time each was behind IL
schedule, the dispatcher arranged 10 have
them meet at II. lie also had TO issue
orders for the meeting at r of No. T by
No. 1876 which was about three hours
late. and of No. l3l aud No. l2G at the
blind siding already mentioned. No. l2G
was held on the side track az r. from
$40 until Cos. This was done TO keep
the way clear for three passenger trniny
which, on account Of their being behind
time, reached that point within 50 min.
utes
The foregoing table indicates the pro
gress OF only four trains passing II sta
lions The work of the train dispatcher
covers often 100 aud sometimes as mnny
as l35 trains, ANA perhaps 40 stations
But Notwithstanding all this comploxity
and multiplicity of detail the PROBABILITY
of an accident resulting from fault in
the dispatchcr's Office Is, as the records
show, so small as TO be hardly worth COZ,
sidering,
I'm thc more important Offices there are
chief aud three assistant dispatchers
The chief does not work at the wire, but
Is present 60 decide what shall be done
when contingencies arise IN which the
assistant az the instrument does not
also figures out the different problems
which come up for solution. Tho other
tl,roe work eight hours each successiyely
nj The wire The time Of the arrival aud
tbat of the departure Of every train from
every station at which there Is a tele.
graph office must be promptly wired 90
f,a disnatcher's Office by the operator af
nrder he sends out In book kept for
tbat purpose. All orders are addressed
~ the conductors and engineers of tho
trains FOR which they are intended, aud
must be repeated back 10 TIE dispatcher
and not delivered until the dispatcher has
onswerod 70 X Operators az stations |
ora re0uircd 10 write AN orders In mani |
faid ~ they receive them, making one
copy FOR each conductor aud engineer ad
d,a,ss,,.1 anl one TO hle away for safe /
fal,ninr One order may involve two /
tbree ar more trains at different stations
Snci orlers are sent 70 all az the same /
si,ne The dispatcher informing each opcr
stor how many copies be Is 70 make. I T. |
eor example. he wished 10 reach train No 1
~ ID ne FIRST and second scciious of /
NJ > N h aud engine No. % az n, he
,so,,lJ eail the operator az y ard tell him |
N .eopy three" then call the one az II
md eag '.eoyy Eve and th4n the oDe 81
X and tell laa 10 copy ihfee' li' /