Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-01-21
THE DISPATCHER.

Ath uuuut II fDura now since nan
died trains by wire. and 1 would not 90
back TO &c for 500 n day You have really
no idea Of how it wears on n man. Some
stand 10 bottor than othors but It wrecks
every ones nerves sooner or later.
"Whcn was appointed night dispatch.
Or on this road. / thought / was the hlg.
pcst man In Missouri. took to smoking
10 cent cigars and wearing Is hats l had
a well developed case of swollud head and
showed It nil over me. a Tow months OK
poricuco with falthlcss operators, tricky
traiumcn and arrogant supgrIors. however
took the coucolt out of me, and began to
realize Just how big Job % was TO handle
a heavy train wire and give satisfaction
The fact So, tho man who con please oil
hands has get % DO born. There are times
whom some train must be delayed, aud It's
often case Of Hohson's choice The
tfninmuu who walt curse tho dispatcher
Into tho middle " purgut0ry and back
again. md those who get advantage lrng
about tho run they made
"Ono night the road was fairly hot with
trains when / unmc on duty. wondered
how In thunder should ever get tho pas.
scngcr train through without delay Thorc
seemed 10 DO q train W every side track
oyOr the whole lCnsth OF the road and
moro between stations. worked like
beaver 10 was In tho old days OF what arc
known rs single orders, whom each
train received % separate order, which must
10 sent 90 each one concerned sinRly You
viii easily sec how In the rush u business
single order might BE- incorrectly trans.
mitttd and trains leave stations under
conflicting orders, which would certainly
bring them together unless corrected
Lee N.s.H u 81
use orders 30 wufdod that two trains Or
mors receive them at the samo time. and
thus the risk ~ error BE- lussoncd. That
system was hardly known Ia my time
and We worked On the pcrllous single OF.
der plan.
"a double header left tho foot Of tho
mountain about midnight, holding nn OF.
der giving It the hight 90 summit About
95 minutes ahead of u was fast freight
Tho latter had an ouFino numbered lg7
and tho double train bad engines 3i9 aud
N21 You must remember / was working
oyory minute trying to keep the frUights
out VI tho way VI the night passenger
trains.
"AlonR toward morning u train was
ready 90 go down tho mountain and /
gave the order 10 run wild and wait f0r
engine ie7 Ot summit In some way or
Other the double train following slipped
my memory completely. have thought
since l must have got mixed on Tho two
numbers, t27 md 0l7. Al any rate whom
tho operator nt summit reported tho two
trims leaving, Il came over mo with the
guddgnnoss and pain ~ galyanio shool.
that had given what we coll lap order
"Tho horrible feeling that seized me
often makes mo thuddcr whom think OF
II now. Ny hand Tell from tho key. Limp
and ncryolosa Something seemed ~ cast
blur boiorc my eyes 30 | could not Rad
the orders before mc. Thv blood rushed 90
my head, and my temples beat Ike trip
hammers. But only Tor a second Like
Dash seized the kgy aud asked tho opCr
ntor 70 stop the down train u was 700
late. II had gone. Then / tried ~ reach
tho double ,raln, but H. too had passed
tho last telegraph o0ieo, aud I knew no.
earthly power could prevent those trains
from striking hard, Tor the grade Is nearly
80 foot 10 thG mil0 W there.
~ sent for the chief dispatcher immodl.
ntely and told him tho situation. Ho was
an old hand at tho business, aud an affair
Of this kind trettCd his nerves almost o.
the point Of insanity. Ho added nearly
100 per cont 10 my ng0ny ~ mind. llC
would fit down aud look the train sheet
over and soom to dcvour tho fatal orders
with his eyes, then jump w with gcs.
turo u despair apd Say, BY gosh, that's
TOO badp Then hc would pace up and
down tho floor, repeating 10 hlmsolf.
That's too bad, too bad. They'll strike
ns suto us tho world, roturnlng always 90
puro over the trnln shoot and order book
j could have screamed with the awful
strain Of nervous suspense. l confidently
believe that nothing but lack II courage
and tho curious Vaccination kept me from
rushing out and jumping into tho river,
10 feet below.
II felt absolutely certain that some Of
those men would ho killed. Had both
trains been single tho drivers might posi-,
bly, bco each others headlights IA time 20
jump, but / was suro the mon on tho tDC.
ond engine of the double header would $50
Into tho wreck all over and dio u.s. SURF us
fate. IL has become fashionable nowadays
10 disbclloyc IN q physlcal hereafter. !
dome know anything about that, but do
know that n mental torture DO the lot %
those who giu ~ this lltc, nttgr our nc.
counts are audited, l should prefer to take
my chances with tho old fashioned Htylo Of
punishment.
Suddenly both Tolny1 opened with
NAAtAN AA' 'AlANA ANHANhA nv AllN WIN ~ INNH
foctly indosorlballo expression nnd went
20 tho switchboard without u word. We
both knew without telling what it meant
The trains had struck, and tho piled NJ
wrcckngo had broken tho wires down. We
tested for tho break ana soon located it
half way up the mountain. gave up tho
last particle Of hopo 40 this, and only
waited In u kind Of dull wonder 90 learn
tho CEtput Of tho casualty
"1ho 30 or AOminutcs that elapsed after
tho wire failed until $50 got tho official ~,
port Of tho HCridout BOCm Co mo now ns
misty ns dream, l worked away NJ the
wire mechanically, guided only By The
force Of habit, aud using tho circuits as
they were made mp by tho chief lilo Kept
flushing at tho switchboard in % perfect
misery Of nervousness
''At lcngth the summit operator called,
md my heart boat almost nudlbly as an.