The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-12
The LIVES
THE OWLS \ l !.
They Keep Ceaseless: Vigil BY
5 the Railroad Track.
J. HAVE MANY EXT ERlENCES.
Ingenious Schemes 70 Secure Map
Without Being Found out-Son1e @
3@f5 ~ {EE s.9i 4ig
I Very Strange Things Are
Now Related. z
/ nv ". NJ. Bickers.)

Passengers on night trains cannot have
N Jailed to notice the frequent passing OF
signal lights. The switch to every SIDE 8 1'' :
h track has m Indicator, and II the sisna1
3 u white the engne,nan Of the on-rushing
\ train knows that the main limo is clear
d II the .rbull's -cye" Is red the significance
II II that the switch ie set to the side track
4 iris "a a wise precaution. and these sig
4 nails are provided at every siding, inolud-
ing the little "blind sdings" remote from
telegraph offices and used for loading
lumber, etc. In the earlier days OF rail-
roading the enEinemen had TO take long ,l,
chances on those many switches being
set right, for there we're no signals pro.
vided with the Stub switches" and II
II a5traln using any passing siding or !oao-
( 1r,g-siding failed to change the switch 20
the main limo. the consequences were pad at,
y Many a wreck hns resulted from Buch
$carelessness and the absence OF the pres
4 cnt efficient safety check. p III.
E53 CEAsELESS VIGIL.
n The signals above the towers or tele-
n graph block -offlces and the station houses
Z in which the telegraph offices are located,
Il are the train order and block signals. IN
N each one lof these offices sits and Keeps
! his ceaseless vigil a faithful owl OF tho
wire" as the night telegraph men are
pleased to term thems elves. They are
I sometimes designated as nocturnal light
ming agitators.'' but by whatever term
$deslgnated, they constitute very essen
%tial class OF employees Many OF them are
stationed In cities, towns and villages.
but the great ma ority have their seques-
tered abode In the rural districts. where
the dismal silence. save from the whlr
' Of assinG trains and the ceaseless click
$of the&instruments, sis only broken ny tho
monotone OF the croaking frog. the song
1 OF the katydid and the boot OF the woods
owl. This would seem to be lonesome
9dreary life: but the operator Is In touch
with the world and frequently enjoys q
pheasant chat with brother knight OF
the key 4(sonctimes It's a fair sister, and
then 1t Is all the more pleasantly. The
Temptation to feel lonesome has often
been Intensified by q night train putting
off corpse at the little station An
".owl" who had an experience Of this Kind
declared he was not ut all alarmed. but
it, made him feel SO melancholy that he.
preferred remaining as much as possible
outside OF the office and In ear reach OF
his instrument. Who shall blame him?
NOT SO PHEASANT. n HE FIJI
Many owls have had varied expert
ence with tramps. lunattcs, drunken
srowdes and some With robbers AS bats
stiy to the light. so the nocturnal way
farer makes for the night telegraph
office. II the office be In little village.
and At is the only open all night place, "
and especially II the operator Is also the
might ticket agent, there will be no
dearth of visitors, from the man suffering
from insomnia to the convlrial confidant
who wishes to relate his many tales OF
'tf- . { I d . !. . +