The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07
AFTER DOC SMILEY DIED.
Second Phase Of the Wire Drumming That
Annoyed the other Operators.

Second Phase or the Wire Drumming hnu'
Annoyed the Other Operators.
Doc Smiley was a fusser on the wire. "
said the laxative railroad operator who
confines his statements TO bare facts. or at
least facts in a state Of deshabille. Il always
contended that the wires in his brain box
were crossed.
sOne OF his bugs was drumming on the
wires at night. He could give the best imi-
Ition Of Pop Goes the Weasel you ever
heard. And for making a noise like a drum
corps coming by the town hall on Decoration
Day, why Doc Smiley would make the
drummer boy at Bunker Hill turn over in
his rave.
This was very irritating to the reace-
able and quiet loving operators along the
line who wanted to rest O. nights. " such a
thing were possiblL. But you might as we'll
try to get a chorus girl TO don a raincoat
at a Saranac Hotel fire as to try to make
Doc stop his drumming.
However, the end must come TO all Of us.
and Doc Smiley passed in last spring. We
all contributed to the fund for buying floral
pieces, AT Rest and Gates Ajlr. with con
siderable liberality and ease Of mind. Not
that we were particularly glad at his death,
OUT every one lIDukub Ie WOulu No bNtbCt
on on the other end of the circuit controlled
by Little Bright Eyes than or earth.
"One would naturally suppose that after
Doc passed over to the Great Majority the
rat-tat-tatting and'Pop Goes the Wessel'-ing
would cease. But it didn't. No, Stree.
1T was quiet for a couple Of nights after
the funeral, till Doc got his bearings over on
the new shift. On the third night. however,
the drumming started up about midnight
and kept it up till nigh on TO morning.
There was only one difference from when
Doc was alive. l will say that Smiley had
sense enough TO keep quiet il any one had
a message or a train report TO send. Docs
shade, or control. or whatever was doing
the drumming after his death, was not so
considerate. 1t would butt in on train
orders. business or any old thing.
The nuisance had US pretty well tied up
and the company got it's wire testers out,
tracing up and down to find out just where
Little Bright Eyes cut in on the job.
These fellowshada good deal Of difficulty,
but they finally gumshoed the trouble to
where the wires pass under the river on a
big cable. A diver was sent down to in
vestigate, and what do you think? Little
Bright Eyes had taken the form of a fish
With a piece OF copper wire attached to
its tail.
YES, stree. True as I'm sittin' here.
-You see il was this way; I was out
snarin' suckers in one Of the creeks that
empties into the big river one afternoon.
I got a big one in the snare and had just
about landed him when ne took fieldeH's
choice and with a powerful swish OF his
tail yanked the copper wire snare loose.
"Slnce that time the big fish had been
swimming down stream with the copper
wire trailing in his wake. In crossing the
cable the wire had got caught in the insula-
ton and held the fish fast.
THE snare made a connection with our
railroad wire. OF course the fish made
strenuous efforts to get loose, and every
time he swished his tail ned make dots on
our wires, just like one of those patent
wigwag. automatic sending machines which
are coming into use. Strange mixup,
WASH it,"
well, I've heard of some human fish
working telegraph wires. present COM
pany always excepted, " observed the tall.
cynical conductor, -and it's not unusual
20 see a sucker on duty in telegraph offices.
Nevertheless. I don't see that fits up to
me-"