The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-03-28
JERRYS
PROMOTION
(By Herbert E. Hamblen, }

(By Herbert E. Hamblen.)
well Jerry. hows everything on the
hfty-one and ffty-two?" asked the
august general manager of the humble
Irish section boss.
'Oh pretty we'll, sir-fairly we'll,
though I'm no better PLACED wild that
head-on switch at the wather-plug
sid'n thar I was BEFORE"
| you're always harping about that
|sw'tch," the general manager retortei,
somewhat testify; whats the matter
with it? I had that switch put in my
SELF, twelve years ago.
Indiplomatic Jerry, disregarding the
t;unt hint, replied: "Oh, nothin, sir;
1aore'n that head-on switch is allus
wrong, an this particular ones in a
bad place-so close to the curve that
every wheel that goes over it hits the
pint of it belt; it's gettin' worn pref
ty thin. Wish't you'd let me take it out
fore anything happens.''
"Have you any idea what it would
cost this company to take that switch
out?''
'TWinty-foive or thirty dollars, meb-
De; but thin we'd have spare switch,
| Sec
tlons.'
Your estimates away off, Jerry.
Now, let me tell you how to reckon it.
In the first place, ninety-6ve per cent
Of all the freight trains stop at this
Water-plug. Most Of them are so near
ly out Of steam by the time they get
this far up the hill that it's all they
can do to crawl into head-on switch.
II they had to pull up to the other end
and back in, half of 'em would stall
on the curve. There comes in the ele-
ment Of lost time and burning coal
with the blower to get steam for a new
start, to say nothing of the chance of
laying out passenger train; whereas
now, the head man can jump off, run
ahead and open the switch, and the
train can pull into the siding without
stopping. Then there would be all that
extra mileage of cars and engines,
And you know conductors sometimes
neglect to put a man on the hind end
to hold the train when backing down
into the siding. Then the engineer has
to reverse his engine to stop, and if the
train breaks in two, away goes half of
it down the bank. Then there's the
HAAO
that the cost of stopping trains is a
big item in the expense account?'
Yes, sir; I have heerd as much.''
well, then, you see this little job
that you propose would involve a con-
tlnuous expense as long as the road re-
mains in operation; and when you
come to add the interest, and COM
i pound it guess Wen leave the head
ons Itch alone .
ked " iflI luzz IedSSex-
preston; the general manager certain.
ly was a corker at an argument.
The presidents special was hummine
over the division to connect with an
Atlantic liner. He had asked for the
right of Way~-a royal request equiva-
lent to a command. Freights were
sidetracked half an hour ahead, and
things were done to the passenger sche-
dule that would have aroused the re-
sentiment Of the travelling public had
they known of them.
It was an aristocratic crowd that rode
behind Tom Ferris that night High
hated gentlemen, accompanied by
daintiIy gowned women, piled with the
fool questions as he ''oiled around;' y
oe~0>N
black engine, glaring along the rails
with it's single eye. And when the con-
ductor came ahead to compare watches
and told him Of the urgent necessity OF
"gettln 'en the1te'', Tom swore he
would do it or bust.
There was a slight flaw in the f1ange
OF the leading wheel of the engine
truck. After months of careful watch
, ing, Tom was satisfied as to It's innocu-
BUSINESS, but he slanned it against re-
verse curves on this trip as he never
did before. It made eight hundred and
eighty revolutions per mile and there
were hundred and thirty-five miles
. between where Tom got the train and
, Jerry's pet aversion, the head-on
switch at the Water-plug siding. Had
!, the circumferential thread of the wheel
conceded exactly with the length OF
rail to be covered, this story would
never have been written. But as the
outer rail Of the curve is longer than
the inner, and as both wheels are rigid
| ly attached to the axle, one or the
; other must slip in going around. And
, this minute slip repeated at every
curve, was an infinitesimal amount re-
quired to fulfil the plans of relentless
fate.
: The black giant tore through the ca
, boose and two cars Of the freight that
was standing on the siding to let her
pass. The presidents private car flew
. end over end down the bank, and was
buried under the other two. The mass
: took fire and in twenty minutes enough
money went up in smoke to materially
modify the general managers opinion
) Of Jerry's proposition.
) They pulled the president out with
a broken collar-bone and very much
beddraggled. ALI of his party were
more or less damaged, but by mir
acle, no one was killed.
Inspection Of the wreckage showed
that defective flange, rolling at forty
mile gait, and backed up by the weight
of engine and train, had crushed
| thrOugh the worn Switoh-poin+ mod ,