Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-28
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
Train Dispatchins.

Once was train dispatcher. am
not now and don't want to be. This is
the reason:
One night the road was fairly hot
with trains when 1 came on duty.
wondered how in thunder 1 should
ever get the passenger train through
without delay. There seemed to be 4
train on every sidetrack over the whole
length of the road and more between
stations. / worked like n beaver. 1t
was in the old days of what are known
as single" orders, when each train
received a separate order, which must
be sent to each one concerned singly.
You will easily see how in the rush Of
business n single order might be incor-
rectly transmitted and trains leave sta
tions under conflicting orders, which
would certainly bring them together
unless corrected.
A double header left the foot of the
mountain about midnight holding an
order giving it the right to Summit.
About thirty-five minutes ahead of it
was a fast freight. The latter had an
engine numbered 427, and the double
train had engines $40 and 327.
Along toward morning a train was
ready to go down the mountain, and
gave the order to run Wild and wait
for engine 427 at Summit. In some
way or other the double train follow
ing slipped my memory completely. L
have thought since 1 must have got
mixed on the two numbers 427 and
1927. At any rate, when the operator at
Summit reported the two trains leav-
ing it came over Inc with the sudden
ness and pain of a galvanic shock that
had given what we call lap or
der.
The horrible feeling that seized me
often makes me shudder when 1 think
of it now. Ny hand fell from the key
limp and nerveless. Something seemed
to cast Il blur before my eyes so 1 could
not read the orders before me. The
blood rushed to my head, and my tenn
pies beat like trip hammers. But only
for n second. Like Il flash seized the
key and asked the operator to stop the
down train. 1t was too late. 1t had
gone. Then 1 tried to reach the double
train, bat it, too. had passed the last
telegraph office, and knew no earthly
power could prevent those trains from
striking hard, for the grade is nearly
twenty feet to the mile up there.
1 sent for the chief dispatcher imme-
diately and told him the situation. He
was an old hand at the business, and
an affair of this kind. fretted his nerves
almost to the point of insanity. He
added nearly 100 per cent to my agony
of mind. He would sit down and look
the train sheet over and seem to de-
YOUR the fatal orders with his eyes,
then jump up with gesture of de-
spair and say, by gosh, that's too
bad"' Then he would pace up and
down the floor, repeating to himself:
That's too bad, too bad. They'll strike
as sure as the world" returning al
ways to pore over the train sheet and
order book. 1 could have screamed
with the awful strain of nervous sus-
pense. 1 confidently believe that moth
ing but lack of courage and the curious
fascination kept me from rushing out
and jumping into the river, seventy
five feet below.
1 felt absolutely certain that some OF
those men would be killed. Had both
trains been single the drivers might
possibly see each others headlights in
time to jump, but 1 was sure the men
OH the second engine of the double
header would go into the wreck all
over and die as sure as fate. 1t has be-
come fashionable nowadays to disbe-
lieve in n physical hereafter. 1 don't
know anything about that, but 1 do
know that il mental torture be the lot
of those who sin in this life, after our
accounts are audited, 1 should prefer
to take my chances with the old fash
Toned style of punishment.
Suddenly both relays opened with a
snap. The chief looked at me with q
perfectly indescribable expression and
went to the switchboard without n
word. We both knew without telling
what 1t meant. The trains had struck,
and the piled up wreckage had broken
the wires down. We tested for the
break and soon located it half way up
the mountain. 1 gave up the last parti-
Gle of hope at this and only waited in a
kind Of dull wonder to learn the extent
OF the casualty.
The thirty or forty minutes that
elapsed after the wire failed until we
got the official report of the accident
seem to me now as misty as dream.
I worked away at the wire mechanical
ly, guided only by the force of habit
and using the circuits as they were
made up oy the chief. He kept fussing
at the switchboard in perfect misery
of nervousness.
At length the Summit operator call
ed, and my heart beat almost audibly
as 1 answered him, for 1 knew from
his tremulous sending that he had re-
ceived the report. I think he must
have understood my feelings, for the
first words he telegraphed almost
crazed me with qualification. Before
sending line of the formal report he
told me, There's nobody hurt" 1
gave up right then and there and said,
MIR. H, you'll have to take the rest of
this report; 1 can't" and got up and
went home.
1t seems the engineer had seen the