The Forrest City times., 1896-06-05
THREE TELEGRAPH STORIES.
showing How Much Depends on
 the Railroad Operator.
One of Them Made Up for a BIunder by Saving the Limited - An Accident Where Accidents Were Deemed
 an Impossibility.

Said the telegra pher: "Jones was night operator at town near Altoona, on the Pennsylvania railroad. He had lost great deal of sleep and was very tired. The night wore along and trains were few. 1t was hard to keep awake. Finally the operator in the signal tower next to the west reported No. 4, the cx- press, passing east. The track was clear and Jones pulled the white signal and waited for No. i. He had almost fallen asleep when he was aroused by the roar of the train as No. swept past the white signal. He saw the red lights at the rear of the train as she disap- peared around the curve and he re- ported her to the operator at the sig nal tower next east and west. Then he waited to hear that she had passed the tower east. Three or four minutes was all it should have taken her to reach that tower, but he waited long after that and no word came to him. He called up Smith, the opeator there, and asked him if No 4 had passed. Smith said No They talked over the wire and concluded that she had broken down or been wrecked between the two towers.
 At about that time the train dis patcher called up and asked anxiously where No. was. Jones said that she had passed his tower and Smith was sure that she had not passed his. Every body was wide awake now, for the train was certainly lost, and a lost train is serious thing on a railroad. The dis patcher thought that she might have slipped past without Smith seeing her, the towers ali along the road beyond de- clared that she had not passed them. A freight going west was stopped at Jones tower and the conductor was asked if he had seen No. between the two towers. He said that there was no sign of her.
 Then the perspiration began to stand out on the operators and dispatchers. The track between the two towers lies along the river. A high stone wall sup ports it. The only possible explanation seemed 10 be tha: No. 4 had gone over the wall into the river. She could not have gone up into the air. Nearly an hour had passed. The river seemed the only place where she could be. The freight conductor received orders to uncouple his engine and run back slowly. He ran back past two towers, but could see nothing of No. on the track or in the river. There was not even a displaced rail where she could have gone over the wall. Then he was H. Tn how things looked there. About half way between Jones' tower and the one west or him the express was found, with broken cylinder head. She had never passed Jones at all. Jones had dreamed it, although he declares to this day that he was wide awake all the time.
 "Jones was in bad repute for time, but he was not discharged, as he was a good man, and his mistake had not caused wreck. He redeemed him. self within few weeks. By his pres ence of mind and quick action he saved the limited. That was an unusual case also. It was the train dispatcher's mis- take. so far as know, but he may have been misled by some one else's blunder. One day the limited was going east In two sections. It is very, very seldom that the limited runs in more than one section. 4 freight was lying in front of Jones' tower waiting for the limited to pass. The train dispatcher sent out m order saying: No. (the limited) will run 40 minutes late That gave plenty of time for the freight to get to the next siding. The message should save read: Second No. ? will run 40 minutes late The first section was on