Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-11-10
AVERTED A SMASH Up
HIS SCHEME WAS SIMPLE AND THOR
OuGHLY EFFECTIVE.
4 Safe Plan. Not Patented. That Mny
u" Followed u, RuiirOai Tricgrnp"
Operators Who Must Go to SIrrp
While On DUTY.

Operators Who Must 60 to Steep
While ON DUTY.
"lIowrNrr tired or ovcrwOlkrd he
may be the railroad operator who al
lows trains 10 smash into each other
while he pounds his ear Is Il hralnlrsS
idiot" said William james, IN old
tir"r. wien | was Il yuungStpr ]
wHS IN ''!argr of II station down in
rcn.sylN:lla, went 10 sleep on duty
because couldn't keep awake Trains
met thcr" every hour or 50, and | was
the only person tu run the business ut
that point. | went To sleep and slept
six h.dl's and there wasn't any smash
up ur I'll" slightest possibility of one 50
far ~ my station was concerned.
Il Wn~ - ears old when ! applied
for u job t. superintendent Pitcairn of
the Philadelphia and Erie. He took
mo on immediately and sent me out to
Kane. 'ihat was the place where Dr.
Kane. ia" Arctic explorer, once lived
md II was canned for him. Kane Is ON
top 81 II mountain. with Wilcox ut the
BOTTOM uii one side and Wctmorr ON
the other. oil Is the great product
there nov hut in 1866 til" traffic was
IN general freight. Rig trains met ut
KANE" nl'l toy Il small place the traffic
was n>'urrghir.
II wits l!'t 1T the station by Il big
" Hi eyed Eian. who said that he guess
~ ,v"' ia" Eid that was going to re-
iirr' HIM lie said he was glad to get
out, but H. guessed I'd like the work
~ QUIZ hnNc IL" niuht trick. Salu
h", nGd youth only have T." he here
fr"u q =. ~. IA I Il. m
Il louk'h ~ with diSmay. but he
WAS StridimG ahead into the station.
II" iastructrh ne in my duties told me
of 4 country tavern about two miles
away and then swung ON to the train
that had L"rn waiting 20 minutes for
lun, h and WAS gone.
when The day man relieved me the
n"At morning. | put for the hotel ana
found ii after tramping about for two
hours and mad" arrangements to stay
there. The proprictor's wife seemed
to tax" Il mothcrly interest in me. and
that afternoon when started for work
shr had II bang up lunch of fried chick
al and jam and things.
well, that night about II o'clock
got hungry for that chicken and hauled
out my lunch basket had just got
things nicely spread out on the illStrll.
mcnt table when IN come Il fat cngi-
nCrr.
"'lIello. kid. said he. That's too
good II feed for you. It'll give You bel.
lyachr. Surc's the world
"Whcrrupon he lut me on Il bench,
sat on my legs and ate my supper,
Then he got up, sucking his teeth, and
said:
"'Sc" them woods over thcrcT point
ing across the track There wasn't
anything else In sight. well, them
woods Is 40 miles long an IL miles
wide an chuck full o berries. Con eat
y'usrf t death
"IIr walked lcisurcly out to his en-
glnp, and | went to the lunch shnnty
just below the station and ntc up two
days salary before discovered how
determined the keeper was to have
plenty of money to support his old
age.
"rhc next day | didn't go to the no.
tel. hut stuid near the station and
plotted revenge. 1t was the custom to
telegraph up from Wilcox the Number
of passengers who wanted meals ut the
Kane lunch Shnnty. and WHOM got tho
first message that night after vainly
schrming all day an idea struck me.
The message read, six supperS on o.
| made it read 2G and carried it to the
lunch keeper, who fairly danced with
glCc at the unexpected rush. He I'M
doubtrdly saw Il Fifth avenue mansion
FOR his old age. Just as ~ pulled in
rushed i'm" til" shanty with message
purl'urtin. to have come from Wilcox
saying that at the last moment 20 pas
S"ngcrS had decided to stay there over
uiuhf to talk" part In local political
ccl"h.'tiui Flynn was furious and
Wrni to lhr conductor for corroboril-
ton. Tie later heard with II grin the
story # IA" ~ prepared suppcrs and.
r"ln"lrhrrrg his own experiences with
fl!ni,'S ices on two or three Ocra-
>,I"''s, Simply shrugged his shoulders
atnl sitil:
e How r'n help IT,
"W"l!. to" loss OF sleep that day and
t!n '>cittir" did me up. and uhout II
prl"rh ! i",!nd | couldn't keep my eyes
"p,n | ,uuk 'lp rcd lantern and nail
ed 'h, Tin init.m t. Il tie in the middle
If ne trn' !. and went to the edge Of
tn woods And !ny down. When |
~ rkr. III" at" operator, who had been
drag q urt e bed two hours ahead Of
~ Co., Vas citing the Philadelphia and
EIt' r;iiroHl system into operation
n-H.h nI;," It six hour suspension Of
rrv,ir".
"ru, ti''r" wasn't amy smash up. ard
no .t'N !,ah been lost, ami | got II job
~ 20 days aitcrWur,l ut TituSvillp.'-