Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-01-04
A RAILROAD YARN.

lHON 20 Do Tor NlNN my You nave iNlII. /
no idea % how 90 wears ON man. Some |
.nnd &c hctior than others. but it wroohs !
every ones noryts sooner ur lntor
"Whon ! was appointed night dispatch ]
or ON this rond ! thought ] was Che biz |
COST man in Missouri I took to smoking
10 cont cigars and wearing s hats I bod |
90 VOL Developed gp-H Of swollrd head and |
showed Do 40 UyOf me. A Tow months uE
r.fIUuco with iIthlcr operators, tricky |
traiuman and arrogant upUr'nrs however
took tho c0ncaIt out oi ma. and began il
roalizu Iust how bIra job Ifwps Zoo handle |
% heavy train wir' and rIyo satisfaction.
Tho fact b. tho m1u who can please all
hands has got fo bee born. ThUw nu Times
whom some tmumu-t uH delayed, and 1919
often case OF ll0m0ns choice Tho
trninmrn who walt curse Che dispatcher
into tho middle Ui pufali0ry and hlUE
ngaln. and those who r.t advantage huF
about tho un they maaH.
ono night tHH rlll WINS fairly hot
with trains whcu ] rlmu on duty ] won.
dOrod how IN thunder ] should ever got
tho passenger train through without de-
Jay. ThUro sU1mUd Goo lHo % tfHlu ou DyUry
sido t1ok over thowhulo longiuoi thurad
and moro lotNr.n stations ] worked lIhn
beaver 10 was Do Che ola days OF what
nro known u8 Single urlora when each
tr1ln rpcoiycd separate order which
must hH sent tn ClCh ono concerned slnrIy
You will easily Ho how, Boo Tho rush ni
busino.s. single order might hO lncur
rcotly tmnuuitiod and trains leave stl.
ti0us under conflicting orders, which
would certainly bring them together un.
Jess corrected Nowadays iho most pro.
russIyo roads an use UrdUrs Hu wuriHl
that two trains ur moro receive them ut
tho snmo time. and thus th0 rist of error
islos.ouod. Tint systcm was hardly known
in my time, aud $50 wicked on tho peril.
Gus single order plan.
"a double header lrft tho foot ~ tho
mountain about midnight. holding un or
der giving 30 the right 90 summit About
90 minutes ahead NJ 10 was fast frOlrhr
The lnttDr had On engine numbered ilt
and the double train had engines 8i2 and
127. You must remember was working
ovory minute trying 90 keep tho frolRhts
out OF tho way Of tho night passenger
trains
Along toward morning n train was
rOndy 90 go down Tho mountain, and I
gave IL an order 60 run wild and wait Tor
engine i97 nt summit In some way or
other tho double train following slippol
my memory completely hnvo thought
slnco ] must have got mixed ON tho two
numbers. az and Jlf. 40 any rate whom
tho operator nt summit reported tho two
trains leaving, 90 oamo over mo with tho
fuddonnOla md pain N % rnlyhnlo shock
that 1 had giyon what wo coll q lap or
dor.
"Tho horrible fooling that seized mo
oiton makes mo shuddgr whom think OF
10 now Ny hand fcll from Che key, linn
and uoryclCss. Something seemed 30 cnst
% blur before my Dyes, sl 4 could NOT mad
tho orders before mo- Tho blood rushed t1
my head. and my temples boat like trip
hammers. hut only Tor second Like
q nash / seized tho kcy and asked tho
operator to stop tho down train. 10 was
too late; u had Runo. Then I tried 90
rrach tho double train. but 80, TOO. had
passed tho last telegraph office, and /
know that no earthly power could prevent
those trains from striking. and striking
hard, for the grade 10 nearly 20 foot 10 tho
mile mp thcrr
81 sent for tho chief dispatcher lmmc-
dlatcly and told him tho situation. Ito
was an Old hand nt tho business, and an
affair Of this Kind fruttod bis nerves nl.
most 60 tho point 81 insanity. lilo added
nearly 100 per cent 10 my agony ~ mind.
llo uld NJ down and look tho train
sheet over and seem % doyour the fatal
orders with his eyes, then Jump up with n
gesture OF despair and say, by gosh, that 4
too badN Then he would pace up aud
down tho floor, repeating 10 himself.
That's too had too bad, They'll strike a.
sure as tho wurldp returning always 10
poO over tho train shoot aud order book.
/ could have screamed with tho awful
strain Of nervous suspense, / confidently
bclioyo that nothing but lack II courage
and the curious fascination Kept mo from
rushing ont and jumping Oh tho bridge
into Tho rIycr, 70 foot below.
81 folt absolutely certain that some Z
those mon would bu killed HAD both
trains been single tho drivers might posi-.
hly sec each others headlights IN Umu o.
jump but 1 was suru tho mon on tho sg'-
oud engine OF tho double header would 600
into tho wraCk nll over md die ns suro ~
fate. 10 has hvcumu fashionable nowadays
Ca dlshclloyo iu O. physical hereafter /
don't know anything about that. but ! do
know that n mental torture ho Che Dot ui
those who tin lu thlH lIfo. uftUr our no..
counts ure audited, I should prefer % tlko
my chances with Tho old fashioned style Of
punishment.
nnpl The ohioi looked 100 me with "a Dor.
fegtly iudo grbnhlu expression aud won't
20 tho switchboard without q word We
both know without telling whnt IL meant
Tho trnius had struck, and tho piled up
wryckugo had broken thowlrUs down. We
tested for the break and soon located IL
half way mp Tho mountain. rnyc mp tho
last particle OF hope 90 this and only walt.
cd In % Kind " duh wonder 90 learn tho
cEicnt Of the casualty
1.-THE 90 ur go minutes TINT OllpsUd aft
or tho wlru failed until W0 got tho official
report Of Che accident suUm 90 mo now us
misty us u dream. worked away ut tho
wir' mechanically guided only hy the
force Of habit and using tho circuits ua
they wcru mudo up hy tho chief no lunr
fus.ing at Che switchboard 300 perfect
misery u nrry0usu1
AT lungth tho summit operator called.
aud my heart beat almost uudIhlyas L uu.
twgrci him, tor know from lIs tromu.
luuB sending thNt he had received trr ru.
port / tluk lU must hayo understood
my feelings. for the Nut words Hr cello.
Tmph0I almost CrhTrl mo with gratitude.
Before sending liuo NJ thH formal report
hu told mo, Thorn nobody mHN ] give
up Fight then uud thuu1ud p.i. Nr U.
youth have to tllo tho rect 0f fhIs report
j can't, and gut 300 and went home
1T sunms tho engineer agw tha bead
lights aud Iumpul, and tho mun 0n tHo
first engine OF thH double huaUHr u..r
sounding sharp whistle fur Un.u..
shriuked % thn following crow tl juup
aud kept ON shrIoEug ntoF tHuy aIru..
tho ground and until tho engine passed.
them, Tho warning was hoprl In timo,