Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-11-09
FIRST TIME TABLE!
ORIGINATOR WAS DECLARED TO
9G INSANE.
Invention Of lncaIcuiable Value to
Mccsrn Tn1s3 al Cne Time Cerid.d
Its Worth Proved cniy by Practi,
cal application.

In these days q modern methods
manners ami ma,IS the wouId-5e
traveller c0asrlts tne guide book"
and Is soon IL - session OF all tl,s
necessary Information about the yoIl-
ing ra'ace that wi; Guickl, scar n
from Aaine TO California or other de-
sired points. TraciHg his route over
one road or over several different rail
roads, it is al The same: the Ettle
book tells him ben he can start. how
lonS be must wait at connectins
points ard practlca. = Tire exact hour
Of his arrival what a convenience,
And yet, not SO very many years ago,
1t was unheard Of. The history of the
railroad time table was given in an
Interesting address recently delivered
to members Of the American Associa
ton of Local Freight Agents assem-
bled in the city of SAY anaah. Among
the speakers was d. g. Purse, presi-
dent OF the Board OF Trade of that
city, and he treated the subject in
the following attractive manner:
1t was during the constructive
period OF the Central Railroad of
Georgia, in 1889 that point was
reached when, because OF the length
OF the line. great loss of time was ex.
perienced in the movement Of trains
in opposite directions. Up to this
time trains had siding stations; the
fist train reaching one OF them had
to wait until the train from an op.
posite direction pulled in, no matter
how many hours of delay resulted,
such delays causing great annoyance
and embarrassment to both passen.
gers and shippers, as we'll as railroad
companies
The remedy. which seems simple
as we look back at it, was proposed
by Thomas Purse, first superintend-
eEt Of the road, whose genius eGuated
the time table, but it was vigorously
opposed by fellow officials. who claim.
ed he wanted to make a dangerous
innovation in railroad operation at
the risk OF both life and property.
Loring 0. Reynolds, chief engineer
in the construction OF the Central
Railroad. characterized the suggestion
as an attempt Ito run railroad on
paper, and seriously expressed the
apprehension that overwor,l and ex-
cessive anxiety had unbalanced Mr..
Purses intellect, as such a suggestion
could only have it's birth In an affect
ed mind He carried the matter to
President Gordon. urging him to veto
the proposed attempt to run trains "on
paper" but Gordon did not share in
his grave apprehension regarding the
sanity Of the superintendent and de-
clined to interfere.
Suffice it to say, the first practical
application Of the time table, or
schedule book, as it was then desig-
aated was in every way successful,
and thus belongs to the Central Rail
road the credit of being the first vail
road in the world to operate it's
trains by an eouated time table
In the summer of the same year
1899. Supt Purse made a tour OF tho
northern and eastern states to study
their advance in railroad construction
and operation, and reported On his
return that his own railroad was in
advance Of all others in progressive
methods of operation.
Shortly after his return home in
the fall Of 1899, Supt. Purse introduce
ed bell cords on trains, and in the
winter of the same year he introduced
stoves into his coaches for the COM
fort of his passengers. in both in
stances in advance Of the employment
Of bell lines and stoves by othpi rail-
roads.