Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-11-08
AVERTED A SMASH UP
HIS SCHEME WAS SIMPLE AND THOR
ouGHLY EFFECTIVE.

n
BE Followed by Railroad Telegraph
operators who Must Go to sleep
While on Duty.
However tired or overworked ne
NAV be the railroad operator who al
lows trains to smash into each other
while he pounds his ear is bralnless
idiot" said William James, an old
timer. when l was youngster L
was in charge of a station down in
PENNSYLVANIA. 1 went to sleep on duty
because couldn't keep awake. 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 SMASH
I'D or the slightest possibility Of one so
far as my station was concerned.
~ was Is years old when l applied
for job to Superintendent Pitcairn OF
the Philadelphia and Erie. He took
me on Immediately and sent me out to
Kane. That was the place where DR..
Kane, the Arctic explorer, once lived,
and it was named for him. Kane is on
top of a mountain, with Wilcox at the
bottom on one side and Wetmore on
the other. Oil is the great product
there now. but in 1866 the traffic was
in general freight. Big trains met at
Kane, and for Il small place the traffic
was considerable.
81 was met at the station by big,
wild eyed man. who said that he guess
ed 1 was the kid that was going to re-
lieve him. He said he was glad to get
out, but he guessed I'd like the work.
you'll have the night trick said
he, and you'll only have to be here
from G p. m. to I a. m
Il looked up with dismay, but he
was strlding ahead into the station
He instructed me in my duties, told me
of a country tavern about two miles
away and then swung on to the train
that had been waiting 20 minutes for
lunch and was gone.
"When the day man relieved me the
next morning, l put for the hotel and
found it after tramping about for two
hours and made arrangements to stay
there. The proprietor's wife seemed
to take q motherly interest in me, and
that afternoon when l started for work
she had bang up lunch of fried chick
en- and jam and things.
"Well, that night about II o'clock |
got hungry for that chicken and hauled
out my lunch basket. l had just got
things nicely spread out on the instru-
ment table when in come fat cngi-
neer.
"Hello, kid9 said he. That's too
good feed for you. It'll give you bel
lyache, sure's the world
"Whcreupon he put me on Il bench,
sat on my legs and ate my supper.
Then he got up, sucking his teeth, AMI
said:
"'See them woods over thereY point
ing across the track There wasn't
anything else in sight. We'll, them
woods is 40 miles long an II miles
wide an chuck full o. berries. Con eat
y'uself t death
"He walked leisurely out to his en-
CINE, and | went to the lunch shanty
Just below the station and ate up two
days salary before | discovered how
determined the keeper was to have
plenty of money to support his old
age.
"The next day | didn't go to the no.
tel, lat staid near the station and
plotted revenge 1t was the custom to
telegraph up from Wilcox til number
Of passengers who wanted meals at the
Kane lunch shanty, and when | cot the
first message that night after vainly
scheming all day an idea struck me-
The message read, six suppers on 81
| made it read 2G and carried it 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 - pulled in
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 to take part In n local political
celebration. Flynn was furious and
went to the conductor for corrobOra
ton. The latter heard with n grin the
story Of the 26 prepared suppers and
remembering his own experiences will
Flynn's prices on two or three occa
sions, simply shrugged his shoulders
and said:
"'How en- help it"
"Well, the loss Of sleep that day and
the excitement did me up, and about II
o'clock l found couldn't keep my eyes
open. / took the red lantern and nail
ed the tin bottom to n 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 Il six hour suspension OF
service.
"But there wasn't any smash up, and
no lives had been lost, and | got jot
two days afterward at Titusville." y
New York Sun.
Gilbert's Satire.
W. S. Gilbert meeting the editor OF
Punch one day remarked as he was