The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-09
ANGUISH AN ERROR COST.
TRAIN DISPATCHER TELLS THE
STORY or nIs LAST "I.RICK."


Expected THAT "A Terrible Collision
Was sure Co Resuit-MentaI Tor
ment for Two Hours while Watt
inE for News That Came Not.
From the Kansas city star
There were four OF them and they were
seated in the corridor OF the Midland
Hotel the other evening. smoking and
talking over the experiences OF their
younger days An OF them were railroad
officials whose names are familiar the
land over. None was less than nifty years
old and all had reached the age when tho
hopes and ambitions OF life have either
been realized OF laid carefully away. like
faded flowers. never 90 BE- looked at again.
perhaps, except with regret. But the world
had treated them kindly and they had
watched each other climb az the ladder
step By step. steadily. porsovcringly. UNI
al the top had been reached and the long
delayed and well-earned reward had
come.
1T IL very easy 70 get into the wrong
department OF railroad. >" said one OF the
group a portly man with hair that was
snowy white, II made that mistake In the
very beginning OF my career. Went into
the operating department and Il required
one of the scvercst lessons of my life TO
teach me that / didn't belong there. Let
me tell you about "a. The nrst position
OF importance that ] ever held on a rail-
road was as a dispatcher on one OF the
Western roads in the hottest country the
sun shines upon In this hemisphere to-
h4nFaEHsH hsa4
was 50 intense that 10 sleep was utterly
impossible until nature became exhaust
Cd. During the day the thermometer fire.
frequently registered 40. and 1 remember
how we used TO hold a lighted ciger un-
the instrument just as the overland pas
senger train pulled IN at noon with tour
lists almost FRUSTRATED. And many
hearty laugh we had. too. as they gazed
wonderiugly az the Thermometer with the
mercury up TO the highest point. after
which they would sent scores OF tecgfams
to friends IN the East describing the heat
Forgot the Extra Freight.
II was working what We called the
third trick. fsom midnight 90 o'clock in
the morning. our office controlled nearly
500 miles OF track. We had three noun
tain ranges on our division, and every
railroad man knows what that means TO
a dispatcher. IL was necessary to split
ala our freight trains into several Sec
tons 20 cross these mountains and as we
had only a few telegraph Offices. and those
we did have were far apart. we had to DO
some pretty close figuring to prevent de-
lay 20 trains This sort Of work Is SUN
ciently trying IN a cool climate, in
land where every one was constantly on
the verge OF collapse Il was rendered
doubly hard.
''One night In August ! went on duty
as usual az midnight ana received the
transfer Of everything on the division. We
opened a new train sheet at " O'Clock, AMI
after checking on with a blue pencil all
the trains that had reached their desti-
nation. I placed this new sheet over that
used the previous day. There was an
order on the book 10 run regular west
bound water train ahead Of time for
poiif at about the middle OF the division.
and at / o'clock I started II out. ] must
have been half aalsep when I gave that
order 10 the operator. for | neglected 20
DO what every dispatcher does, what
had done always before issuing running
orders-I failed 90 look az the old train
sheet Had I done 20 / might stu be
train dispatcher instead Of general mana
ger Now all OF you know that train
running ahead Of time has the rights OF
an extra only. Ten minutes after rcceiv-
Ing the report Of the departure OF that
water train / glanced at the old sheet.
What / saw cent the blood 10 my head
with a rush. for away up In one corner
OF the sheet / saw that an extra was
coming east I had sense enough left 20
call up that station from which the wa
ter train had Just departed In the hope
that Il might have fingered IN the yard
aud might stan be stopped by the switch
men But n was too late what could
do? There was not another night Office on
that part Of the division and two trains
were rushing toward each other with
nothing 20 warn them OF the wreck that l
knew must occur.
II have heard Of mems hair turning
white In a single night ana l have read
Of others being driven mad under condi-
lions more favorable than those through
which / lived for two hours that Au-
gust night"
II was becoming Interesting. Several
outsiders moved their chairs closer 20
that OF the speaker and the clerk so far
forgot his dignity as TO join the group
a Dramatic Recital. A
For 100 minutes" continued the ex-dIs-
patcher. Il lived over every smallest de-
tail OF my life. ! followed those trains
mentally. over every inch OF the divis-
ion / knew just about whore they must
come together. IL would occur on a sharp
curve where neither would see the other
until II would be impossible to stop. /
could see the agony on the faces OF the
engineers and the iiremen as they caught
one fash OF the headlights: and then came
the crash. the escaping steam. the grind
ing and creaiSing OF broken timbers
But over all heard the cries and groans
OF injured men. and every one of them
was a friend OF mine.
For two hours ! was obliged 20 con-
tinue sending orders to forty or nfty
trains on other parts Of the road and all
che time ! was waiting for the message
that would contain the details OF the col
lsion. ! tell you. gentlemen" here the
white-haired man rose 10 his feet. stirred
by the recollection. II wouldn't live that
eouidn't tell you In an hour OF an the
thoughts that crowded 10 my mind as
worked and waited Nearly all the men
composing the crews on these two trains
were married; I knew their wives and
their children. had grown up among
them. And before the break OF day.
Thought. they would be widows and
orphans: and I. should never dare 60
bsok them IN the face again. Perhaps the
law woaid punish me. Here the idea oc-
CURED 10 me that must escape. II didn't
matter where I went I ouiy wanted 20
60 where I should not be seen by those
Nho knew OF my criminal careiessness.
Abous O'Clock I had figured that IN a
few moments I should know the worst
BY that time was no longer ~ 10 handle
trains and although I had said no word
to ny call boy he knew that something
was wrong. and without consulting me