Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-15
NO LONGER MASTER
The Decadence Of the Old-Time
RaiIroader.
THE new ARISFOCRACY OF TEE ROAD
Working of the Block System
and Other Modern Methods.
WIRELESS TIE lie G. r A p IL Y
Copyright. 1900. by Herbert E. Hamblen.)

Copyright 1900. by Herbert E. Hamblen9
Written for The Evening Star.
The conservatism of stockholders has re-
tarded railroad improvements. The demand
for purctual dividends has vetoed man.
agerfal experimentation. Experiments cost
money-potential MISUNDERSTANDING in
yentors have met frigid receptions In
consequence innumerable worthless lnVen-
tons have died still-born, also many of the
other kind. Worthy managers have es-
CAPPED official shpwreck. which is d good
thing. For the eloquence of the inspired
mechanical genius is aliuring.
There is reason in the stockholders con-
servatisn. but THAI of the old-time rail-
reader is of the brand stenciled 'buil-head-
ed" He hates innovations. 1 have heard
him damn double track. Good single
track is what you want, he says; that's
where they make railroad men,"
The latter assertion is true. The former,
also. has its adherents; being fossils, how
ever they may be disregarded. The old
style "man-eater' drawhead gorged on
brakemen for years The companies m
vested great wealth possible diVidends) IN
legislation. A Jaw resulted, popularly
known and cussed as the 'coemploye act
A self-evident fact was Sagely proVeE-thdt
an employee could not be injured or even
killed except as the result of the act OF a
cOemplCye. Thus was rung the death knell
of cash damages, or the equivalent. me-
long snap. The incentive for lmmolatlon
withdrawn behold the ''brakey clothed
with supreme caution. Not at all! Ihe
soulless corporation gave him a coupling
stick free of charge. an instrument Tor
holding up the link without the brakeman
enterine the danger zone. He rejected it
scornful~ inserted himself between the
man-eaters. and harried the courts, where
he had no standing. The company extorted
a receipt from him to prove he had ac-
cepted a stick. No use. He had lost or
broken it just previous to the accident
Discharge for the stickless was tried. The
esprit de corps foiled this; proof was i'm
possible.
Passing of the Red Flag.
This ultra conservatism prevails in all
branches of the service. A generation ago
conductors and engineers worshiped the
red flag: 1t was their fetch. With it they
were fully equipped They could flag
themselves OUT of all kinds of tight places
Opposing trains, pert Crce awaited their ar
rival al meeting points. What OF IL Ihey
got there, didn't they? laundering dis
patchers couldn't run trains together with
a walking half mile ahead OF each
carrying a red flag. No, siri Conductors
and engineers were men of note. Tele-
graph orders concluded with. Now, do you
unders tand2" Two such competent author
tiles could hardly be expected to interpret
order alike. Nor did they. Each placed
his own construction upon IL, the prime es-
sentiaI being that it should differ from the
others. The wire kept hot with re-
quests for light upon disputed points
Trains waited. Happy the disputant
who won. especially II he succeeded in prov
ing the dispatcher in error. Such cases were
by no means unknown. The vanquished
submitted-under protest.
''Sidetrack railroading' has nearly disap-
peared under modern methods. The book
OF rules still retains the ancient maxim:
IN case OF doubt always take the side of
safety But experience has crystaliZed
N science
Doubtful cases seldom arise. Orders are
issued in the terSest and piatnest language
each order covering but one operation
They are issued by responsible men They
are issued 10 be Obeyed. The men know
that. They obey them. Accidents occur as
the result OF obedience 10 orders. The rail-
road is no exception TO the fallibiiity of
human Institutions Yet statistics prove
Its management to be nearly perfect as
anything ever will be in this world. The
Old-time engineer, to all intents and pur-
poses, owned his machine. Its throttle was
never desecrated by another's hand. He
would not have permitted IT. The locomO-
tive lay at the end of the rum like
himself. Much capital was invested in idle
engines. The engineer laid off 10 superin-
tend the repairs TO his engine. His opinion
carried weight with the master mechanic.
The repairs met his approval, or there was
howl. and IL wasn't futile howl, either.
The Old-Time Firing Line.
1t is. different now. Double-crewed en-
gines earn dividends continually. The
roundhouse foreman edits the engineer
work report. Meanwhile the engineer runs
the machine allotted to him. He confines
his bowling To the seclusion OF his home.
His wife thereby acquires railroad lore.
Conductors once were monarchs OF all they
surveyed up To the back of the tender
That was the firing line. There authorities
clashed. To settle dispute as to train
rights. engineers have uncoupled and fin
ished the trip with the engine, leaving the
conductor and his train the siding
Thick-necked conductors have refused to
open the switch forcing the engineer to
continue the trip against his judgment.
Such primitive methods would now meet
with official diSfavor The old-time rail-
roader was a character. So is he of today
But he is different In those days the in
nuentiai radius OF the road was small. Its
personnel was weak, scrawny, little Small
iron rails wandered about the country
The road bed was unscientifically con-
etructed. 1t was the day of the wooden
trestle. Small, weak engines made long
stops at wood plies. Frowsy. hard-riding
passenger cars were coupled with links and
pins. The mandrake assisted in furnish
ing thrills to passengers. Stopping and
starting were momentous operations. Those
reservoirs of fiendish Potentially the car