Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-09
DISPATCHING.

DISPATCHING.
cts about II years now since handled
trains by wire, and 1 would not go back
to it for 500 day. You have really no
idea of how it wears on man. Some
stand it better than Others, but it wrecks
every ones nerves sooner or later.
"When Twas appointed night dispatcher
OH this road, thought was the biggest
man in Missouri. l took to smoking Is
cent cigars and wearing IS hats. had
well developed case of swelled head and
showed it all over me. A few months ex-
perience with faithless operators, tricky
trainmen and arrogant superiors, however,
took the oonceit 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' S choice The train
men who wait curse the dispatcher into
the middle Of purgatory and back again,
and those who get advantage brag about
the run they made.
"One night the road was fairly hot with
trains when came on duty. wondered
how in thunder 1 should ever get the pas
senger train through without delay. There
seemed to be a train on every side track
over the whole length of the road and
more between stations. l worked like
beaver 1t was in the old days of what are
known as single orders, when each train
received separate order, which must be
sent to each one concerned singly. You
will easily see how in the rush of business
a single order might be incorrectly trans
mitted and trains leave stations under
conflicting orders, 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 is 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 Or
der giving it the right to Summit. About
30 minutes ahead of it was a fast freight.
The latter had an engine numbered 427,
and the double train bad engines 342 and
327. You must remember was working
every minute trying to keep the freights
out of the way of the night passenger
trains.
"Along toward morning q train was
ready to go down the mountain, and
gave the order to run wild and wait for
engine 427 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 S27. At any rate, when
the operator at Summit reported the two
trains leaving, it came over me with the
suddenness and pain Of galvanic shock
that had given what we call lap order.
"The horrible feeling that seized me Of
ten makes me shudder when think Of it
now My hand fell from the key, limp
and nerveless. Som ething seemed to cast
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 q
flash seized the key and asked the oper-
ator to stop the down train. 1t was too
late 1t had gone. Then tried to reach
the double train, but it, too, had passed
the last telegraph office, and l knew no
earthly power could prevent those trains
from 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 devour the fatal orders with his
eyes, then jump up with gesture of de-
spair and say, By gosh, that's too bad
Then he would pace up and down the floor,
repeating to himself: That's too bad, too
bad. They'll strike as sure as the world,
returning always to pore over the train
sheet and order book. l could have
screamed with the awful strain of nervous
suspense. confidently believe that moth
ing but lack Of courage and the curious
fascination kept me from rushing out and
jumping into the river Is feet below.
II felt absolutely certain that some of
those men would be killed. Had both
trains been single the drivers might posi-
bly, see each others headlights in time to
jump, but l was sure the men on the sec
into the wreck all over and die as sure as
fate. 1t has become fashionable nowadays
to disbelieve in physical hereafter. I
don't know anything about that, but do
know that If mental torture be the lot Of
those who sin in this life, after our ac-
counts are audited, should prefer to take
my chances with the old fashioned style of
punishment.
Suddenly both relays opened with a
snap. The chief looked at me with per-
fectly indescribable expression and went
to the switchboard without word. We
both knew without telling what 1t meant.
The trains had struck, and the piled up
wreckage had broken the wires down. We
tested for the break and soon located 1t
half way up the mountain. gave up the
last particle Of hope at this, and only wait
ed In kind Of dull wonder to learn the
extent Of the casualty.
"The 80 or 40 minutes that elapsed after
the wire failed until we got the official re-
port Of the accident seem to me now as
misty as dream. worked away at the
wire mechanically, guided only by the
force of habit and using the circuits as
they were made up by the chief. He kept
fussing at the switchboard in a perfect
misery Of nervousness
CAT length the Summit operator called,
and my heart beat almost audibly as an |
swered him, for knew from his tremu |
lous sending that he had received the re- |
port. think he must have understood |
my feelings for the first words he tele-
graphed almost crAzed me with gratiflca- |
ton. Before sending line Of the formal
report he told me, There's nobody hurtr |
! gave up right then and there and said,
Mr.. H., you'll have to take the rest Of
this report; can't, and got up and went
home.''
1T seems the engineer had seen the
headlight and jumped, and the men on the
first engine of the double header, after CIV
Inn n charm whistle for hra kee chrieke1 m