Rock Island Argus., 1903-01-03
Upper Floor of East Building at
Fifth Avenue Station
Occupied.
OLD STRUCTURE BEING DIsMANTLBD
to New Offices a Simple
Matter.

| the Rock Island road now presents a
forlorn appearance. Deserted but
| Thursday it has already passed into
the hands of the destroyer and in n
few days the extreme extension of
the train shed will stand upon its site
and the new Fifth avenue passenger
station viii be finished.
| The various offices on the upper
floor of the east building were occu-
pied New Years day and their occU-
pants are now struggling against the
fumes of turpentine that arise from
the vanished woodwork and the
newly painted radiators. In Il few
days this will be over, however, and
then the occupants of the offices will
have reason to feel themselves very
wen housed.
How the Dispatch Moved.
| The most interesting feature of the
removal from the old to the new
building was the change made
by the dispatchers and operators.
who were compelled to pass from one
building to the other without inter
fering with the operations on the
two divisions that are controlled
from the office.
y large force of electricians and
linCmen were busy New Years day
getting everything in readiness, and
at about 2:30 i'll the afternoon the
keys of the new instruments in the
new offices were closed and the ones
in the old offices were opened. The
dispatchers thereuPon took their rec
ords and watches and marched up
stairs, and the thing was done. Yes
terday all the wires were taken out
of the old building.
Arrangement of New Offices.
The new offices occupy all the up
per floor of the east building. The
entrance is in the middle of the north
side of the building and leads up the
Icng stairs to the hall that runs the
entire length of the structure along
the south side. Beginning at the west
end and passing east one finds in or
der the conductors room. lavatories
and closets, roadmaster's office, train
masters Office. dispatchers' Office and
operators room. All the rooms are
fiOored with hard maple and finished
with hard pine, the walls being rough
finished and painted light shade of
yellow. The furniture is nearly all
new, the most conspicuous pieces be-
ing the large and heavy desks of the
dispatchers and operators. All the
substantial furniture is of oak with
golden finish.
The wires enter the operators room
from the northeast corner and are
distributed with temporary switch
while a new one is being made in Chi
e., ~ I,a
tion of the time on the western di-
visions of the Peoria and Cable
branches of the Illinois division are
located in this room. The apparatus
of the telegraphic offices includes
number of improved devices.
The Lower Floor.
On the lower floor of the building
the baggage room at the west end
and the express office next to it have
been in use for some time. They are
plain and spacious rooms, though ar
ranged with peculiar disregard of
convenience of detail. The heating
plant and janitor's quarters occupy
the middle of the building on the
lower floor and the lunch room is To-
Gated at the extreme east end. This
latter room Will soon be ready to oc-
cupy. 1t is SO far away from the
passenger station that it will be of
little use for feeding travellers on
short notice. 1t will be operated as
the old one was by the company that
has the same privilege at other places
on the Line.
At the same time as the dispatch
ers' and other offices were occupied
Tardmaster Thomas Pender and his
assistants moved across the tracks
to the small frame building that had
been fitted up for them. The new
yarClmaster's Office is in the old build
ing that formerly did duty as the
master mechanics Office and it is To-
Gated between the coal chutes and the
round house. Carpenters and paint
crs are still at work upon it and when
they are done it will be very cosy
place. The main entrance is at the
east end and there is also the public
office. In the rear is a larger room
for the private office of the yardmas-
ter. 1t will be necessary to keep an
operator in this building in addition
to the regular help in order to keep
in touch with operations on the Lines,
This place has not as yet been filed.
Rock Island Notes.
The cry on the Rock Island is still
for more engines and men to handle
the vast and growing amount of traf-
fic that is passing over the line. All
are affected by the
shortage of motive power and all the
local employees are being worked up
to the limit.
Fireman John Hogan has reported
after an illness.
Engineer George Weihrauch has re-
turned to duty after trip out of the
city.
Engineer p. J. Coggins is off duty |
and his place on the 156 is taken by III.
ieisenhapen. I