The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-08-15

OF tnc train ulSpatCncrS
" convention were relating
anecdotes and one remin-
~ iscent chap gave the fol-
h(,RS.tS lowing:
NV ~ 'Some half a dozen
NSG years ago. when | was
HFNN working the afternoon
trick III the Union Pacific hallway at
Denver. Il of my oldtimc friends
from the East, who was on his vacation
and visiting friends in the Rockies.
called upon me. When | got things
Strengthened out SO that | could leave
trains III charge of my operator. / ven
out 10 spend an hour with my Eastern
friend 10 show him the interior dccOra-
tionS of one or two of our notable pub
lie buildings. Previous to going out
with the Fastener | issued running
orders to Il disabled passenger engine
which had been compelled to give up
the run near I.cadvillc. in the noun.
1ainS. and to return to Denver for re
pairs. ] fixed them against all q
lar trains, and it started eastward
about the same time that | descended
the stairs with my friend.
What We saw OF did is neither here
nor there and does not necessarily en-
ter into the recital of this yarn. Suf-
flee 10 say that we parted company
after an hours pleasant chat. ct cptera.
and | returned To the office while he de.
parted for his hotel. promising to meet
me at a designated hour the following
day. When | returned 10 the office my
operator informed me that he had lust
started helping engine 81 down the
mountain to come up with Il freight
train. and that he had fixed them
AGAINST all eaSt-bound trains. As il is
the custom Of the dispatcher every mo-
ment or so while on duty TO glance first
At the clock and then at the train sheet.
| saw thai ii was $50 Il. H.. and also
noted the absence of the pushing en-
zine being recorded upon the sheet.
After an admonition to the operator
ina he must train himself To make a
record on the sheet of all trains the
instant he started them. | then sat
down and inVoluntarily picked up tho
order book and read the order the ope-
r"tor had issued To the pushing engine
during my absence.
"Dircctly | read the order | discover
"l that he had made no provision for
thu two empty engines 10 meet each
other. both of them having orders to
run regardless of all trains. You can
Imagine my feelings. and Il description
of how ! felt is useless. | said: Jim.
You have not arranged for those two
engines To pass each other. have you:'
and his reply was: No: | had forgot
ten about the No. ~ which YOU start
cd There was but one intervening
station between the two stations from
Which tn" engines We're separated from
each other. one of them going down the
mountain around the curves at a speed
Of t~hirty-tivc miles an hour. and the
ether one ascending the grade at a
speed of twenty miles per hour.
Il 1t once began To call Notices. the
station which now separated the on
zines. and as luck would have il. thc
operator WAS seated AT the key and an
SWercd his call the second time | madr
IL. AS quickly as | could send the
words over tho wire | said: Stop En-
gland - west. quick. His KEY opcncd
and remained So fully a minute. when
he closed IL by saying: II was too late:
they Went by Ike Il fash just us YOU
called me. and. although | jumpcd
right out through the window and did
NOT wait to 20 through the door.
could MOI catch them with my red light,
Tor they never looked back
My operator was Il silent listener to
all this and H. glanced AT him | ,ouLI
scarcely suppress Il smile. even though
my own mental suffering was as great
as his. He was an Officer OF abiect dis
tresS and his eyes hung way out on his
cheeks like ~doorknobs on IA coloniol
residence. There WAS one blind" side.
track between Notices and Buena Wis.
ia and how did long for the telegram
once which h company contemplate
ed opening at that place. There was
nothing now that | could do to avert a
collision which seemed To be ineyita.
ole, n my mental suffering WAS dis.
tracing. Turning to Jim | said: Well.
my boy, this Is a bad thing. and Won
nave set 4 trap for those two engineers
n their tircmcn. Al the rate OF
speed at which they are running. as in.