Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-10-13
AVERTED A SMASH UP
HIS ScHeMe WAS SIMPLE AND THOR
QUICKLY EFFECTIVE.


A Safe Plan, Not Patented, That yTay
BE Followed by Railroad Telegraph
Operators Who Must Go :" slse'
While on Duty.
However tired or overworked he
may be the railroad, operator who al
lows trains to smash into, each other
while he pounds his ear isla brainhss
IDIOT" said William James, an old
timer. when was q youngster I
was In charge OF a station down In
Pennsylvania. went to sleep OIL duty
because couldn't keep awahe. Trains
met there every hour or so, and, l was
the only person to run the business at
that point. went to sleep and slept
six hours. and there wasn't any fsmash
up or tho slightest possibility oceons 30
far 40 my station was concerned
Il was IS years old when I applied
for d Job to Superintendent T7tcdtrn OF
the Philadelphia and Erie. Eh took
me on Immediately and sent fmeio ut to
Kane. That was the place twhere Dr.
Kano, the Arctic explorer, 'once lived.
and II was named for him. Knne b on
top Of a mountain, with Wilcox at,the
bottom on one side and fWetmore ON
the other OIL Is the great product
there now, but In 1865 fthe traffic was
in general freight Big trains met at
Kane, and for a smaly place'the traffic
was considerable.
IL was met at the station. by a big.
wild eyed man. who said that he guess
ed was the kid that was going TORE
lieve him. He said he wasSglad to get
out, but he guessed ia like tthe work.
"'Youn have the night trick. said
be, and you'll only have to boy here
from 8 y. IN. to I a. m
81 looked up with. dismaI but he
was striding ahead Into THO station.
He Instructed me inimy duties, told me
OF q country tavern about two mics
away and then swung ON 10 thet train
that had been waiting 20 minutes for
lunch and was gone
when the day man relievedt me the
next morning, put for the hotel and
found II after tramping about, for two
hours and made arrangementslto stay
there. The proprietor's wife 5seemed
to take a motherly Interest infme, and
that afternoon when | started for work
she had bang up lunch Of fried chick
en- and jam and things.
well that night about 11s0clock
got hungry for that chicken and hauled
out my lunch basket had just got
things nicelytspread out on the instru-
ment table when In come q, fat engi-
neer.
Hello, khr said he. That's too
good a feed for you TIN give you bel
lyache, sure's the world
"Whereupon he put melon bench,
sat on my legs and ate my supper.
Then he got up, sucking his teeth, and
said:
"'See them woods over thereY point
ing across the track. There wasn't
anything else In sight. We'll, them
woods Is 30 miles long an Is miles
wide an chuck full o. berries. Con eat
y'uself { death.
"He walked leisurely out to his en-
CINE, and went to the lunchl shanty
Just below the station and ateJup two
days salary before discovered how
determined the keeper Was Ito have
plenty Of money to support! his old
age.
1.-The next day didn't go ITO the ho
tel, but staid near the sntion and
plotted revenge. 1t was the custom to
telegraph up from Wilcox the number
Of passengers who wanted meals at the
Kane lunch shanty, and when got the
first message that night after vainly
scheming all day an idea struck me.
The message read, six suppers on 81
I made 1t read 90 and carried 1t to the
lunch keeper, who fairly danced with
glee at the unexpected rush. He I'M
doubtedly saw Fifth avenue mansion
for his old age Just as q pulled in l
rushed into the shanty with message
purporting to have come from Wilcox
saying that at the last moment 20 pas
sengers had decided to stay there over
night 10 take part In local political
celebration. Flynn was furious and
went to the conductor for corrobora-
ton. The latter heard with a grin the
story Of the 20 prepared suppers and,
remembering his own experiences with
Plynn's prices on two or three occa-
sions. simply shrugged his shoulders
and said:
How en- help ny
well. the loss Of sleep that day and
the excitement did me up, and about IL
o'clock found couldn't keep my eyes
open. took the red lantern and nail
ed the tin bottom to a tie In the middle
Of the track and went to the edge Of
the woods and lay down. When |
awoke. the day operator, who had been
dragged out Of bed two hours ahead Of
time, was getting the Philadelphia and
Erie railroad system into operation
again after a SIX hour suspension Of
service.
But there wasn't any smash up, and
no lives had been lost. and | got Job
two days afterward at Titusville."-
New York Sun.
His Free Library.
Aai, strSaaf ano<.y,dhapd hONk-