The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-24
THREE TELEGRAPHS STORIES.
SHOWING HOW MUCH DEPENDS ON
THE RAILROAD OPERATOR.

How one of Them Made u for a
Blunder by Saving the Limited.
An Engineers Nervc-An Accident
Where Accidents We're Deemed an
ImpossibiIity.
From the Pttsburg Commercial Gazette.
Said the telegrapher: Jones was night
operator at a town near Altoona, on the
Pennsylvania railroad. He had lost a
great deal Of sleep and was very tired.
The night wore along and trains We're
few 1t was hard 10 keep awake. Finally
the operator in the signal tower next to
the west reported No. 4. the express,
passing east The track was clear and
Jones pulled the white signal and waited
for No. A. He had almost fallen asleep
when he was aroused by the roar Of the
train as No. 4 swept past the white sig
nal. He saw the red lights at the rear
Of the train as she disappeared around a
curve and he reported her TO the operator
nj the signal towers next east and west
Then he waited to hear that she had pass
ed the tower east Three or four minutes
was all it should have taken her 10 reach
that tower. but he waited long after that
and no word came TO him. lie called up
smith. the operator there, and asked him
If No. 4 had passed. Smith said mo"
They talked over the wire and concluded
that she nad broken down or been wreck
ed between the two towers.
CAT about that time the train dispatcher
called No and asked auXiously where No.
4 was Jones said that she had passed
his tower, and smith was sure she had
NOT nasscd his. Everybody was wide
awake now, for the tram was certainty
lost and a lost train is. serious thlnS
on railroad. Ihe dispalcAes thous lt
that she might have slipped past without
smith seeing ner, but the towers all along
the road beyond declared she had not
passed them freight going west was
stoned a Jones tower and the conductor
was asked If he mad seen No. 4 between
the two towers. lie said that there was
no sign of her.
linen the perspiration began to stand
out on the operators and dispatchers.
The track between the TWO towers lies
along The river. A n gh stone wall sup
seemed to be that No. mad gone over
the wall into the river. she eould not
have gone up into the air. Nearly an
h0nr rad PASSED. The river seemed the
only place where she could be. The
freight conductor received orders 10 I'M
couple his engine and run PACK slowly
He ran back past two towers, put couid
see nothing Of No. 4 on the track or n
the river There vas not even displaced
rail where she could have gone over the
wall Then he was ordered to run slowly
About half way between Jones tower
and the one west of him the express was
found. with d broken cylinder head she
had never passed Jones at al. Jones had
dreamed it. although he declares TO this
dav that ne was wide awake all the time.
Clones was in bad repute for time, but
he was not discharged, as ne was good
man and his mistake had not caused a
wreck. He redeemed himself within few
weeks. BY his presence Of mind and quick
action he saved the limited. That was an
unusual case also. 1t was the train dis
patcher's mistake, so far as l know, but
he NAV have been misled by soma one
a1se's bIunder. one day the limited was
Going east in two sections. 1t is very very
saldom that the limited runs in more than
one section. A freight was lying in front
of Jones tower, waiting for the limited to
nass The train dispatcher sent out an
order saying: No. ?, the limited, will run
forty minutes late That gave plenty Of
tine for the freight TO get to the next
siding The message should have read !:
Second No. will run forty minutes late
The first section was on time. Jones hand
"a the order to the conductor Of the
freight, who went down out of the tower
and started his train on TO the main track.
Just as the big freight engine began
putting the telegraph instrument began