The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-04-19
IN THE SWITCHT0WER
OF NEW Y0RK'S ROADS.
THE WONDERFUL, NOISELESS LEVERS
AND THEIR WORK
Switchmon Must Study Hard Thoir Text
Book la Thick, Yellow PACED
Pamphlet Detailing Many
Complex Combinations
(New York Sum-

\NoW York Oun.
The queerost text book in the
world perhaps is tho thick, yol-
low PACED pamphlet usod as guide
by tho switch operators at the Grand
Central station. S33 combinations re.
ferring to the locks, interlocks, chocks
and signals operated by the great lev
ers are registered between the covers.
And although to the outsider the text
is unintelligiblo rs Sanscrit or Chi
nese, being one successive complexity
Of signs, capitals and numbers, there
are men who know the whole score
by heart and others who are study
ing it daily as step to promotion to
the switchman's ranks
Certainly in no ono spot in the
city is there moro concentrated en-
orgy continually exercised than in the
switchtower of the station yard. The
men manipulating the many gay
colored long handled levers ranged
side by sido in the middle of the floor
give tho impression of playing upon
somo quaint instrument, the key
board of which only is visible. The
players pull down q blue lever hero
and shove up red one beyond,
reaching over to snap third IN place.
Black, rod, yellow, blue: yellow,
black, blue, rod, back and forth they
snap the handles, the execution all in
accord with the jottings and formu.
las of that yellow toxt book.
The visitor in the stronghold dur
ing rush hours is stuck with tho i'm
passive orderliness with which things
are conducted No fuss; everything
quiet except for the movem ent of the
feet on the bare floor as they step
forward and back in attendance on
the huge instrument; the click, click
Of the differont liberated levers set
tling back in place and the tinkling
of tho signal bells in stool reverbora-
tors.
Tho moon faced clocks sentinelled
along the wall at a height oven with
the mons oyes are muto. Their
big hands show the timo to the frac
tion Of a second, but they waste no
energy in needless tickling. The
switchmen gro Of like description.
Their entire attention given to the
business Of the moment, even while
looking out for tho business to come,
with almost superhuman accuracy,
carefully considering, listening to tho
signalling of the bells and the grind
ing of tho switch locks and answering
to their orders.
The foreman and the interpreter
for the grand seems to have mastered
tho problem of doing a dozen things
at once. He sounds the plunge
bells that send signals to half hun
dred places out in the tunnel. He
ss.lks through the mogaphono out of
SS window to the trainmen in the
@ard below. He regulates q special
Sbatch of levers and keeps in touch
with the operators in tho telegraph
room beyond. He keeps this up
eight hours each day.
= After one has looked on at and lis
toned to the towor doings for con-
sidorabr5as. tlmo the various sounds
take on dltgESSSin dltgESSSinctnoss. 1t can be
judged from th&sa stolid thub or the
koon click of released lever whether
the iron feolers it Regulates are
weighty and long reaching ~or con-
troll only the turning of lock or The
giving signal.
And for the electric bellsl Each
has a message of its own. Now one
tickles repeatedly and instantly, the
samo whirring racket again and
again, a meaning that the foreman
chalks down in graphic signals on
his slate to bo held up for the gangs
edification, and lator to be answered
with number Of stout pulls on his
plunge bells. Now comes brief,
quick ring apparently 'inconsequent,
but tho levers respond to it promptly.
Again q prolonged tinkling at the OK
treme end Of the room causes the
head man to catch up his megaphone
and shout hurriedly to yard hands