The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-29
FDIspATCHING..

"1es about II years now since I handled
trains by wire, and would not 60 back
TO 1t for 800 day. You have really nc
Idea Of how II wears on o man. Some
stand IL better than others, but 1t wrecks
every ones nerves sooner or later.
"When Twas appointed night dispatcher
on this road, thought was the biggest
man In Missouri. took to smoking 15
cont cigars and wearing Us hats. I had a
well developed case Of swelled head and
showed II all over me. A few months ex-
perlence with faithless operators, tricky
trainmen and arrogant superiors, however,
took the conceit out Of me, and began to
realize just how big job 1t was to handle
a heavy train wire and give satisfaction.
The fact is, the man who can please all
hands has yet to DO born. There are times
when some train must DO delayed, and 1t Is
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 Drag about
the run they made.
Zone 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 I worked like o
beaver. 1t was in the old days of what are
known as single orders, when each train
received separate order, which must BIO
sent to each one concerned siDgly. You
a,ztI. L.. L. al ,,,
q 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 go worded that two trains or
more receive them at the same timo, and
thus the risk of error is lessened. That
system was hardly known in my time, and
we worked on tho perilous single order
plan.
2 "A double header left the foot of the
mountain about midnight, holding an or
der giving 1t the right to Summit. About
So minutes ahead of 1t was fast freight.
The latter had an engine numbered 427,
and the double train had engines 342 and
327. You must remember 1 was working
oNSiJ hihutc tiyIB W AccP uho iipiShoa
out of the way of the night passenger
trains.
"Along toward morning a. 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. l have thought
since must have got mixed on the two
numbers, 427 and 1877. At any rate, when
the operator Mt Summit reported the two
trains leaving, it came over me with the
suddenness and pain of n galvanic 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 norveless. Som othing 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 q second. Likea
flash l seized the key and asked the oper-
ator to stop the down train. 1t was too
late. 1t had gone. Then tried to reach
tho 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 tho grade is nearly
go feet to the mile up there.
II sent for the chief dispatcher immcdi-
ately and told him the situation. He was
I'M 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 dcvour the fatal orders with his
eyes, then jump up with gesture Of de-
spair and say, BY gosh, that's too badr
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. 1 could havo
screamed with the awful strain of nervous
suspense. Tconfldently believe that moth
ing but lack of courage and the curious
fascination kept me from rushing out and
jumping into the river, rs feet below.
81 felt absolutely certain that some of
those men would be killed. Had both
trains been single tho drivers might posi-
bly, see each others headlights in time to
jump, but was sure the men on the sec.
ond engine of tho double header would go
into the wreck all over and die as sure as
fate. 1t has become fashionable nowadays
to disrelievo in physical hereafter. l
don't know anything about that, but do
know that II mental torture be the lot of
those who sin in this life, after our ac-
counts are audited, | should prefer to taBo
my chances with the old fashioned style of
punishment.
Suddenly both relays opened with
snap. The chief looked Mt nc with per-
fecty Understandable expression and went
to the switchboard without n word. We
both knew without telling what 1t meant.
Tho trains had struck, and the piled up
wrockago had broken the wires down. Wo
tested for the break and soon located it
half way up the mountain. gave up tho
last particle Of hope ut this, and only wait
cd in n kind of dull wonder to learn the
extent of the casualty
The 30 or 40 minutes that elapsed after
the wire failed until we got the official re-
port Of the accident seem to INC 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 tho switchboard In a perfect
misery Of nervousness.
AT length the Summit operator called
md my heart beat almost audibly as an
'wercd him, for l knew from his tremu-
Gus sending that he had received the 70
)ort. | think he must have understood |
ny feelings, for the first words he tclo- |
,raphed almost CraZcd me with gratiiIca-
ion, Before sending IL line of the formal !
cport 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
his report; l can't, and got up and went
IOmc.h
at seems the engineer had seen the
headlight and jumped, and the men on the
rst engine of the double header, after CIV
ng II sharp whistle for brakes, shriekcd to
he following crew to jump and kept on
hricking after they struck tho ground and
ntil tho engine passed them. The warn
1g was heard in time, and all hands got
II with nothing worse than a few bruises;
ut that finished my train dispatching"
Exchange.
True to His Training.
She-Oh, that dog