The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-20
NIGHT DISPATCHER.

/ 'ibs hpout II years now since hHndlo(
trains by wire, and would not 20 back h
1t for 300 day. You have really no idez
Of how II wears on q man. Some stand /,
better than Others, but 1t wrecks ever
ones nerves sooner or later.
when I was appointed night dispatcher
on this rood, thought was the biggest
man in Missouri. I took to smoking ID
cent cigars and wearing % hats. had Q
well developed case Of swelled head and
showed Ii all over noe. A few months ex.
perience with faithless operators, tricky
trainmen and arrogant superiors, however,
took the conceit out Of me, and began to
realize just how big Job it was to handle
heavy train wire and give satisfaction.
The fact is the man who can please all
hands has yet to be born. There are times
when some train must be delayed, and it's
often case Of Hobson 8 choice. The train
men who wait curse the dispatcher into
the middle Of purgatory and back again,
and those who got advantage brag about
the run they made.
lone night the road was fairly hot with
trains when came on duty. wondered
how in thunder should ever get the pas
senger train through without delay. There
seemed to be train on every side track
over the whole length Of the road and more
between stations worked Ikea beaver
1t was in the old days Of what are known
as single orders, when each train received
q separate order, which must DO sent to
each one concerned singly. You will easily
see how, in the rush of business, single
order might be incorrectly transmitted and
trains leave stations under conflicting Or
ders, which would certainly bring them
together unless corrected. Nowadays the
most progressive roads all use orders SO
worded that two trains or more receive
them at the same time, and thus the risk
of error Ii lessened. That system was
hardly known In my time, and we worked
on the perilous single order plan.
"a double header left the foot of the
mountain about midnight, holding an
order giving IT the right to Summit. About
85 minutes ahead Of 1t was q fast freight.
The latter had an engine numbered 427,
and the double train had engines 842 and
827 You must remember was working
every minute trying to keep the freights
out OF the way Of the night passenger
trains.
"Along toward morning train was
ready to go down the mountain, and I
gave 1t an order to run wild and wait for
engine 4s7 at Summit. In some way or
other the double train following slipped
my memory completely. / have thought
since must have got mixed on the two
numbers, 427 and 1877. At any rate when
the operator at Summit reported the two
trains leaving, 1t came over me with the
suddenness and pain Of galyanic shock
that had given what we call lap order.
1.-The horrible feeling that seized me Of
ten makes me shudder when think of 1t
now. My hand fell from the key, limp
and nerveless. Something seemed to cast
o blur before my eyes, SO could not read
the orders before me. The blood rushed to
my head, and my temples beat like trip
hammers. But only for second. Like
flash seized the key and asked the opera
tor to stop the down train. 1t was too
late; 1t had gone. Then I tried to reach
the double train, but it, too, had passed
the last telegraph office, and knew that
no earthly power could prevent those trains
from striking, and striking hard, for the
grade is nearly 20 feet to the mile up there.
II sent for the chief dispatcher immedi-
ately and told him the situation. He was
an old hand at the business, and an affair
Of this kind fretted his nerves almost to
the point of insanity. He added nearly 100
per cent to my agony of mind. He would
Sit down and look the train sheet over and
seem to deyour the fatal orders with his
eyes, then jump up with a gesture Of de-
spair and say, BY gosh, that's too badp
Then he would pace up and down the floor,
to himself, That's too bad, too
bad; they'll strike as sure as the worldp
'eturning always to pore over the train
,beet and order book. Icould have screamed
with the awful strain Of nervous suspense.
confidently believe that nothing but lack
If courage and the curious fascination kept
ne from rushing out and jumping off the
fridge into the river, 75 feet below.
II felt absolutely certain that some of
hose men would BIO killed. Had both trains
,een single, the drivers might possibly sec
ach others headlights in time to jump,
nut was sure the men on the second erI
,ine Of the double header would go into
he wreck all over and die as sure as fate.
t has become fashionable nowadays to dis
elieye In a physical hereafter / don't |
now anything about that, but do know |
hat, If mental torture be the lot of those
Who sin in this life, after our accounts are
udited ] should prefer to take my CHARGES
nth the old fashioned style of punishment.
Suddenly both relays opened with
nap. The chief looked at me with per-
ectly indescribable expression and went to
he switchboard without word. We both
new without telling what 1t meant. The
aims had struck, and the piled up wreck
GO had broken the wires down. We tested
If the break and soon located it half way
p the mountain. l gave up the last par
Gle of hope at this and only waited in q
ind of dull wonder to learn the extent Of
le casualty.
"The 85 OF 10 minutes that elapsed after
lie wire failed until we got the official re-
ort OF the accident seem to me now as
listy as dream. worked away at the
ire mechanically, guided only by the
'rcc of habit, using the circuits as they
ere made up by the chief. He kept fuss
lg at the switchboard in perfect misery
nervousness.
"At length the Summit operator called
nd my heart beat almost audibly as an
vered him, for knew from his tremu-
us sending that he had received the re-
,rt. l think he must have understood
y feelings, for the first words he tele-
'aphed almost crazed me with gratitude.
efore sending a line of the formal report
, told me, There's nobody hurt' ! gave
, right then and there and said, Mr. H.,
'u'll have to take the rest of this report;
can't, and got up and went home.
at seems the engineer saw the head
yhts and jumped, and the men on the
st engine of the double header, after
unding a sharp whistle for brakes,
rieked to the following crew to jump and
pt on shrieking after they struck the
ound and until the engine passed them.
ne warning was heard in time, and all
nds got off with nothing worse than a
W bruises, but that finished my train
Exchange.