The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-02-20
RAILROAD SPOTTERS.
The SECRET SERVICE THAT ONE BIG
SYSTEM MAINTAINS.

Members of Ii In Every Department
From Yardmcn up-Curious COM
plicntions when spoilers Unknown
to One Another Cross Lines.
Probably the most perfect spotter
system achieved by any private cor.
poratlon,' says $. Ii. Adams In Aims.
lees, ''is that OF one of the big eastern
railroads, which Is TO some extent
modelled on the secret service system
of some of the eastern governments
though by no means so complex.
so farreaching and 50 direct, how
ever, are Its lines OF communication
that the president of the organization
Is himself kept constantly informed
OF the trend of affairs and the changes
of sentiment among the employees of
every division and subdivision OF the
whole railway system, and that with
out the knowledge OF any other persons
but his own special corps of clerks
aud secretaries.
Nobody but himself knows the en-
tire personnel of the wonderful service
that he has perfected. His agents are
drawn from every branch OF the roads
operating stan. They are engineers,
freight braEencn passenger trainmcn,
conductors, sgnalmen, yardmcn, sta.
tlon agents, track walkers and even
division officials. Should that road
hive strickland strikes are far less
likely to occur than they We're before
the present system WAS put into OPP
cratlon-the president will have de-
tailed warnings of 1t from all the
storm centers long before the first NUT
terlngs find cautious uttcrance in the
newspapers.
while II also acts as II defense
against thefts by employees, this sys.
tenn Is intended primarily to prepare,
so TO speak, IL diary of the disposition,
character, working efficiency and sentl-
ments toward the road of the men who
constitute the vast human machinery
of the corporation. The feeling which
eliminates In general strike is not
the result of one act alone, but II slow
growth made up Of many grievances,
real or fancied.
ITO keep track OF the shifting mental
attitude Of his employees Is the aim Of
this railroad president If certain
division superintendent has made HIM
self unpopular With his subordlnates,
information TO that effect comes by
underground wire to the central office.
and the matter Is taken under advise
ment. II the newest fireman ON the
road attempts To stir up discomfort by
intlammatory talk, his views soon
reach the official ear. Every leading
spirit Ia the employees organization il
known to the president who also
knows whether, In ease of trouble, the
man Is to be reekoned upon as II con
selNativc or Il radical.
Sometimes this works out the mans
career In manner quite Incompetence
slble to him. For instance, Night
Waterman Brown Is shifted without
cause that he can fathom from one d.
vision 10 another. How should he
know that rum0r5 Of trouble In thut di-
vision have reaehcd the presidential ear
and that he himself, being down in the
presidents little book as Il speaker of
weight ana counselor OF c0nserVa-
tive methods, has been shifted over TO
act as unconscious agent In checking n
dangerous tendency
Some of the admrlng coworkers OF
the head Of this system declare that In
two minutes reference to his collected
funds Of information he can unrol the
family history Of the woman who
eHi n, q
and tell whether. in her estimation. he
himself Is an oppressor Of the down
trodden or II perfect gentleman.
Where so many Invisible lines radl-
ate from the same office IL Is inevitable
that some or them should cross Curl
Gus complications result from contact
between spoilers as unknown to each
other az they are 10 those whom they
watch.
Several ycars ago at time of gen
cral labor troubles certain railroad
got no less than five reports from Its
confidential men informing them that
an employee who was several degrees
higher In the secret service Of the road
than any Of them. had they but known
IT, had been making lnccndlary speech
es.
This was true Matters had no
shaped themselves that the man ne
cuSed had to appear az radical In or
der to gain Ambulance TO inner coun
ellis where the important questions
would be finally decided. 10 the cha
grin Of the authorities they were obllg-
ed to transfer him Had they not done
SO the suspicious of the men who make
the reports would have been aroused.
as such Is held to be highly undeslra
bic. There Is always the chance that
they might work In conjunction Instead
Of acting as checks on each other"