The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-04-13
1T WAS A CLOSE CALL.
HOW A TELeoRAPHeR WAS CURED OF
SLEEPING ON DUTY.
frodsoament OF Night Operator at .
xsssiy stAtion-An Evasion OF the Rules
That Gave the Boys q Chance 70 Sleep,
! but Which Came Near Causing Dissstor.

J
but Which Game Near Causing Dissstor.
"Station III, where / worked" he said.
lis night station on a single track rail
road In New Hampshire. G, the nearest
night telegraph station north of it, was
eight miles away, and N, the nearest one
south, was l2. My duty in summer was
solely that OF operator. In winter l also
looked after the fires in the waiting rooms
After o'clock all the trains that passed
were freights, end there were half dozen
south bound and as many more north
bound In the course of the night. 1t was
part OF my duty to note the time that each
OF the trains passed my station and report
IL at once to headquarters at A the same
rule applying to all the operators on the
line. That was one Of the customs which
made IL dangerous for an operator to fall
asleep, IL only for five minutes. Another
thing that annoyed him and often made
him swear was the roll call. This consist
ed in tho train dispatcher at A office go
miles south of H. calling each Office on the
line every half hour, beginning with the
one nearest his own. The station that
failed to answer a roll call had black
mark placed against II at A, with record
of the time when the call was given. At
first the roll call made all the boys look
sharp and too the line. But they soon
found way to cheat it,
Several of the owls on the line ar
ranged to take turns with each other in
answering tho roll. For example, the oper-
ator at would answer my calls between
the hours Of and g. and l would attend
to his from to 5. What a cracking good
30 I,.f f51n fba a har
we thought, and the exchange of duty be-
tween US was kept up for a long time-in
fact, almost too long so far as my own case
was concerned. refer to an incident that
took place during the winter of 1885,
which for a few hours nearly froze the
marrow in my bones. 1t happened like
this:
Through freight No. 241, north bound,
was duo at my station at 80, and wac
scheduled to meet south bound freight
No. 2S4 at p, 15 miles farther up the road.
No. 24l was scarcely ever behind time,
and the two trains usually met at p with
out requiring telegraphic orders. The
night In question was very cold and
stormy. Fully three feet of snow had fall
On, and 1t was still coming down very fast,
while a high wind was piling IL in big
drifts across the track. On a night like
that the incessant humming of the wires
outside the station Is enough of itself to
put sentinel to sleep, and that, coupled
with the hour, 10, and an Office temper
ature OF 80 degrees, was more than my
weary frame could resist. / fell asleep,
knowing, Of course, that G would, accord
ing To our arrangement, look after my roll
calls. After what seemed to me about like
20 minutes, but what was really more than
Two hours, was awakened by the sharp
clicking Of the telegraph instrument near
my head.
"'Qk 12' wSs being made with great
rapidity, the call for my office preceding it.
knew it was the train dispatcher, the alb
breviation meaning Quick! We want you
10 hold a trainp
II answered the call, and the command
came back quick and sharp:
Hold No. e41 for orders.
go K, said /, and Immediately hung
the proper signal, a red lantern, outside
the door.
'Then I came to my senses and looked
at my watch.
twenty-five minutes past 3! And
had heard no train in almost three hours.
Had No. 24l got past wondered. found
that it had left n at IL 40, and the run
lfOiu ~ W n toOh ~ IIll-
utes. 1 knew the storm would probably
delay tho train somewhat. But two whole
hours? 1t wasn't likely. Then I heard
No. 284 reported from r. and knew she
had received orders to meet No. 24l some
where between p and ii.
What If No. 241 had got by me and
was trying to reach p for the down freight
In that case the two trains were bound to
crash together in the storm. There was no
help for it. My excitement was increased
by the repeated calls of the train dispatch
er to ask II No. 241 was in sight.
Z" Not yet, / answered, trembling lest
my hopes were in vain.
Three thirty five, and no train. l went
out ON the platform and listened. Not IL
sound could be heard above that of the
wind, and an engines headlight wouldn't
have been visible ten rods away.
II went back, grounded one of the
wires, SD as to cut out A Office, and called
u, hoping TO find whether No. 241 had
reached there No answer. Then I re-
menbercd that from 3 to D was G's time
to bunk Off. and knew it was useless try
ing to get him
Ten minutes more aud the freight had
not arrived.
"'Sure it hasn't gomez asked the train
dispatcher excitedly, as though doubling
me. I'll
Sure, said 1.
q For Gods sake, don't let it get by
youl' no urged.
Well, 4o'clock came and my courage
was giving way. l could sec how two
hours or SO might DC needed for freight
TO 60 II miles on such night. But three
hours and over! So slow run had never
been known on the road.
What was to be donep To admit my
uncertainty meant the loss Of my job, and
to brave it out any longer seemed almost
criminal. In my despair finally decided
to tell the train dispatcher the plain truth
that had been asleep at my post, and that
No. e4i probably went by more than an
hour ago. The fact would be known In q
lew hours any way 1 argued, and would
shen be arrested for causing death, con-
victed of criminal negligence and sent 10
prison.
ut was then AIS. / drew long breath
aud went over to the telegraph desk. Head
uua ,xryoc I'm, 1tv,er IN, aSE III the