Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-05-20


tfneis-A Pilot Engine Travel
Ahead All Day and Nixht-Re.pon
abilities of Dispatchers.
When a presidential train Ike tina
which left Washington the other da,
starts on long journey across the con
tinenf. much more is involved than ap
pears on the surface. says the Chicas,
Tribune. In the load which such trail
carries is involved the possible safet,
and the welfare of the nation, and il /.
literally the chief business of thou
sands Of men while the train is on tn,
road to see that IL passes In safety ant
without delays or Inconvenience Of
any kind.
Before the route of a presidential
train Is finally settled upon there is In
tense rivalry among the representatives
OF competing railroads to secure il az
an advertisement for their lines. Once
the route Is fixed the successful rail
road officials begin season of nerve
racking strain and anxiety which does
not cease until the train, with its pre-
cious freight, is delivered safely into
the hands OF the company the lines OF
which form the next link in the jour
ney.
In the first place. every division su.
perfntendent and practically every en-
ployee over which the presidential
train passed on the first and the next
night was notified days In advance OF
It's coming The exact minute of its
departure and a carefully arranged
schedule of its arrival at and departure
from every station ON the line were sent
out to every station agent and section
hand Beginning several hours before
the train was due every foot of the
track was carefully patrolled by keen
eyed men who felt the responsibility
which rested upon them. IL President
Mckinley had sat up In the observa-
ton car attached to the train he might
have seen at intervals OF few minutes
and all night long the yellow lights of
the lanterns OF the sleepIess sentinels
who were to guard his safety and as
sure his convenience. Practically Ii
might almost be said that the train
passed between two lines of watchmen.
SO close are they together and so care
full Is their watch.
Nor does railroad vigilance stop
ming. All day and all night long a pi-
lot engine runs little in advance of
the presidential train to make sure that
nothing has been overlooked which
could by anv human possibility endan-
ger Its safety. Close behind the presi-
Dental train Is usually sent a second
engine. so that II Is closely guarded be-
fore. behind and on both Sides Still
other precautions are taken. Every
station agent is notified that on the
night or the day when the train bear
Ing the president Is to pass his station
he must be continuously on duty. he
may not leave the responsibility to his
subordinates. He must personally at
tend to the arrangement Of the proper
signals and see to II with his own eyes
that everything possible Is done to for
ward the train with speed and safety.
1t may pass his little backwoods sta
ton at 60 miles an hour. but he must
stay on duty and watch and wait until
II flashes by In the night. and. with n
Sigh OF relief. he can call up the next
station on the wire and announce that
the presidents train has gone by. and
the weight has been lifted from his
shoulders.
When the train left Washington.
there were three instead OF two men in
the cab. One of them was the engi-
neer. He WAS carefully selected as the
best man on the division. The second
man was the fireman. The third was
the master of transportation. He sat
In the cab alongside the engineer. and
the eyes Of both were conferred on the
twin lines Of rail before them. They
were watching to make sure that none
OF their subordnates had made a mis-
take and to be certain that nothing lay
in the way of the presidential train.
When the train passed from one divi-
sion to the next the transportation
manager left the train and made way
the next division
Back In one of the cars OF the train
other official passengers had an anx-
lous ride. Whoever covers the entire
$4,000 miles OF the journey might OBJ
serve at least 80 different men sitting
perhaps in a seat in the smoking car.
with SLOUGH hats pulled over their eyes.
keeping careful track OF every incident
OF the trip. They are the division SUI
perintendents. each Of them with the
entire burden and responsibility of the
train on his shoulders until
II passes safely beyond the limits OF his
territory. When such connecting points
are reached. the observer. IL he walked
out on the platform. would be likely to
hear q conversation like this:
Hello. Ed"
Hello. Bill"
Everything o. K-Y
''Yes: thank God"
Flows 26Y'
''Waiting at Cedarville."
wish me the same luck Good
night"
Then the train would pull out at 40
miles an hour. and another man would
take the place in the smoking car just
vacated by the sleepy eyed man who
has left the train at the division termi-
nus.
When q train carrying n king or en-
peror leaves one of the great capitals |
Of Europe. IL is always possible 10 stop |
every other wheel on the line and leave /
the track perfectly free for the passage
OF the imperial special But in the
United States the railroad manager has