The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-01-29
ALL IN ONE DREAM.
WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY A MAN IN
A SHORT SPACE OF TIME.

A Story Showing the Remarkable Swift
ness With Which the Mind Works VIII
1t Is Supposed to Be Taking a Rest-Ho
Long 1t Took to Do Ten Hours Work.
A few evenings since a number {
newspaper men were in an Office await
ing the arrival of a gentleman who wa
to call together a meeting that they ha
been directed to report for their respee
tive papers.
A number of topics was discussed
and one of these was dreams and tn
extreme rapidity with which menta
operations are performed. A number O
experiences were given, but the one tina
attracted the most attention was that O
a Call representative, who narrated VIVA
he had done in a dream.
1T was" said he, Gin 1868 that efte
a hard days work I reached home ant
lost no time in retiring. CHANGING a
the clock as I turned off the gas I noticed
That 1t was just Is minutes after mid
night.
Shall | tell you at this point how Ions
l was dreaming or tell first what I die
In my dream? That you all may bette,
appreciate what was done, I will defe,
the matter until the end. Bear in mind
that what is to be told was all in the
dream. Seated in the old Office on Com.
mercial street, above Montgomery, I was
endeavoring to put into presentable
shape the facts Of a trial that had taken
place in the district court, when in came
T.. A. Rockwell, who was the chief ed
itoria1 writer, and calling me by name
said: You had better get ready and 20
to San LeandrO. There's been a terri.
BILE railroad accident. There's 30 or &C
people killed, and I don't know how
many injured George E. Barnes, at
that time one of the proprietors and
managing editors. had overheard Rock
well, and in that quiet way of his sug-
gested that no time be lost in reaching
Oakland, and there procuring a buggy
n a pair OF horses, to go to San Lean.
dro or wherever the accident was.
Rushing down to the ferry landing
at the r of Pacific and Davis streets,
l reached there in time to find that the
steamer for the other side of the bay had
just pulled out, and that | would have
to wait half an hour for the next boat,
The delay was vexatious, and then when
the ferryboat did move eastwardit seem
ed as If she would never make her land.
Ing, h seemed to be going so slowly.
When the slip on the other side was
reached, there was some accident to the
local train, and there was not any pro-
spect of starting for an hour or more. |
was not a team Of any kind at the
landing, SO | had to walk to Oakland.
"a desire to make up for the time lost
urged me on, and | think the time made |
from the landing to Broadway and
Washington street has never been beaten
by man. Near the corner | went into 2
livery stable and ordered a pair Of horses
aitched up. There was a DELAY there.
tor the proprietor had his doubts about
he ability of the team making the trip
and back. Finally l started, and
he way those horses few over the road
vas a caution. When the scene of the
disaster, some distance beyond San Le-
Indro, about IA miles from Oakland. |
vas reached, l proceeded at once to
the facts.
Down on the notebook were penciled
he names of 30 odd men, women and
children who had either been killed out
light Or burned to death in some Of the
airs which had caught fire. Then fol-
the names of about 40 who had
cen injured, a description of their in
urles and the opinions of the physicians
.ho were In attendance as to the posi-
lie outcome in each case. Now, n of
who have had experience in gather
ng information of that kind can fully
pprec1ate that it was not child's Dlay.
or the injured were in different places,
nd it required time to get around to
1em all.
"Ihen there was the obtaining of data
bout the dead. Anumber of them were
ell known residents of this city, others !
ere from San Jose, so it became neces-
ary to obtain enough to give each a de-
mt obituary notice. In addition to this
became a part of my duty to get the
'atements of passengers, so as to de- {
their feelings when the train de- {
"hO "NhG ofCI O1 us SlOS OOWn q |
tile gully and be able to write up the
arrow or fortunate escape of each.
hen there were railroad officials to in s
and, as you all know, they are c
le hardest kind of people to obtain facts i
ON.
well, it took nearly three hours to
It all the matter hat was needed for a d
article hat was to appear
ader a half column scare head. Then d
ere was the ride back to Oakland set r
ement with the livery stable man. who J
7ore that he would never rent a team
a newspaper man again, a rush in a
lck to the ferry landing and the trip to
is city. Without waiting to get any =
ing to eat made my way to the office .
ID at once commenced to write up, tell ,
g every one who came to ask for de- =.
lis to let me alone. | did not write in
PIPER plate style, and for that matter /
yer did, but wrote and kept on writ
3 until had enough to fill what would
AXE about four full columns of The Call
the present day and wrote that big
are head. AS handed the last line "
the foreman to set up | heaved a sigh -
relief and pyclaime6 sTbonb ~oo5