The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1896-08-08

Of the Fellows A.
lunch, according to the New York Trie-
une. Il remember that our chief ana
billion in those days was 10 get as
much sleep as we could nights without
being found out. 80 that We could get
along without wasting 50 much OF the
day In bed. Pound We used 10 call
sleep In those days, because We stopped
pounding brass to pound our ears on
an express package pillow with wait
ing-room beach for a bunk. Funny
thing Is trade slang In those days
there were very few semAphure signals
and we had TO set out on the track
with red and white lanterns and swing
up trains. and our ehiefest bane was
a holding order. for there must be no
sleep with that on our hands.
For Instance. II vestbound trains
had the right Of way the dispatcher
might send me an order to hold No. IS
for orders and then run trains east
bound against it all the way NJ the line
Quite responsibility 10 put on IL
year-old boy. Well. Il We happened to
be terribly sleepy It was a hard fight
l have been SO sleepy that l daren't
sit in my chair for fear / would fail
asleep. and / have stood up and walked
around many a tine for an hour or 50
along in the small hours OF the morn
ing until the order was revoked or the
train got in. One way we had was to
put high stool out in the center OF
the floor and sit on that II we went
TO sleep We would tumble On. ! nearly
broke my neck once that way. l have
often had my call On the wire wake me
up There's something peculiar about
that ! have been sound asleep In =
room adjoining the telegraph Once. had
train go by and an alarm clock 20
OF without waking me up. with two or
three Instruments clicking away Ike
mad all Of the time, and then start up
suddenly wide awake when some one
called my office on the wire It always
seemed TO wake me up In the same way.
/ would dream that my station was be-
Ing called and that some one was hold
ing me down TO prevent my answering
II. I would struggle and strain to es-
cape. and then suddenly wake up TO
find the Instruments calling, just as /
dreamed they were. Once when / was
very sound asleep actually got up in
my sleep and walked across a waiting
room into the Office and had my hands
on the key TO answer a call before
woke up.
This wasn't infaIlibie, however. IN
fortunately. and we used 10 try all sorts
OF schemes 10 awaken ourselves, usu-
ally beginning with an alarm clock
The trouble with an alarm clock Is
that a man gets accustomed 10 ii ami
fails to rouse. We learned that the way
to use one was to give the alarm only
one turn the first two or three tim~s
We tried It, then two turns for awhile
and So on until il was fully wound up
each time, and when 1t began TO lose
its effect, as it would like the continued
use OF opiates. We discontinued Il for
awhile and tried something else
have often set my clock twenty minutes
ahead lay down and slept peacefully
for that bTieE period
THE greatest trouble We had was in
reporting the passing Of trains. Some
Of the night expresses would rush By
so quick that We wouldn't get thor
oughIy awake, and then, By and by.
after the train had been reported from
two or three stations above, we would
perhaps wake up and find the dispatch
= calling Than ha vouid asL nArhaDr