The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
NO NEED or A sHAsB-UP.
A Safe Plan for Railroad Telegraph Operators
Who Are SLEEPY.


However tired or overworked he may be
the railroad operator who allows trains 10 smash
into each other while he pounds his ear Is a
brainless idiot" said William James. an old
timer. when ! was a voungster was In charge
OF a station down In PENNSYLVANIA. | went To
sleep GU duty because | ould keep awake
Trains met there every hour or so and | was the
only person TO run the business at that point
] went 10 sleep and slept six hours and there
wasn't any smRsh-up or the slightest POSSIBLE
ity NJ one so far as my station was concerned.
Il was IS years old when ! applied Tor
for a lob to Supt Robert Pitcairn OF the Phil
adelphia and Erie. BY the way he's In England
now making Ole coal contracts for the Pennsyl-
vania people. He took me on Immediately
and sent me out to Kane. That was the place
where DR. Kane the Arctic explorer once lived
and il was named for him. Kane is on top OF a
mountain with Wilcox at the bottom on one side
and Wetmore on he other. Oil Is the great
product there now. but in 1853 the traffic was
in general freight. Big trains met at Kane
and for a small place the traffic was considerable
Il was met at the station by a big, widely ed
man, who said that he guessed was the kid that
was going 10 relieve hun. He said he was glad
to get Out, but he guessed l. llkst the work. .
"TYouW have the night trick said he. and
yo9'h only have to be here from . + NJ TO
' GilSoked TN with dismay, but he was stridlng
ahead into the station He instructed me In
nv duties; told me Of a country tavern about
two miles away, then swung on 10 Tie ,tTa!i
that had been waning twenty minutes LOT IuhCh
and was gone.
when In day man relieved me the mex morn
ing ] put for the hotel and iouhdlt after trainplng
about for two hours and made arrangemeuts
10 stay there The projectors wife seemed
to take a m0therlv interest IN me and that alter
noon when | started for work she had a bang-up
ltnVnh 81 lrtaA ah1nkAn and lam AND things
We'll, that night about II O'Clock | got hungry
for that chicken and hauled out my lunch. bas-
on the irs table when in come a fat
0s'Helo. kid said he, that's too good a
feed for you. It'll give you bellyache. surs'S
sWhereupon he put me on a bench, sat on
my legs aud aie my supper. Then lie sot up
See them woods over there1' pointing
s sG.of IN si GiS u EaSsdiI th hsSlS woods SfsI |; 1osly, % %i s
long an fifteen miles wide an chuck fun o
berries. Con eat y'nself I death
"He walked leisurely out 10 his engine and
went 70 the lunch shanly Just below the sta
covered how determined the keeper, was TO
have plenty Of money TO support his old age.
st, The ,n next t day .t ! dtdn't sn q S S1 the h Gessn ss'
ID was the custom To telegraph up from Wilcox
the humber 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 mo The MESSAGE read:
Six suppers on 81 ] made II read twenty
six and carried IL 10 the lunch keeper, who fairly
danced with glse at tho unexpected rush. lie
undoubtedly saw a Firth avenue mansion for
lis old age, just as "a pulled in rushed into
the shanty with a message purporting 10 ha' 20
come from Wilcox saying that at the last mo-
ment twenty passengers had decided TO stay
there yer night to take part In a local political
celebration Flynn was furious and went
10 the conductor for. corroboratlon. The
latter heard with a grin the story Of the twenty
six prepared suppers and remembering his
own experiences with Flynn's prices on two
or three occasions simply shrugged his Shout
ders and said.
" How en- | help itT
well, the loss Of sleep that day and the
excitement did me up and about IL o'clock
| found | couldn't keen my eyes open. | took
tina red lantern and nailed the, tin bottom to
a lie in tho 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 si1-hour slspen-
sion Of service.
but there wasn't any smash-up and no lives
had been lost and ! got a job two days after
ward at Titusyille,