The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-08-01
THE TRAIN BELL ROPE.
How II and tho Conductors Supremacy
Came 70 30 Established.


Came 70 30 Established.
Although there does not seem to be
anything In common between pugilsm
and railroad rules, yet the adoption Of
the familiar bell rope that stretches
through every car Of the modern train
was the result Of a fstic encounter. AT
the same time and by the issue Of the
same combat the supremacy OF the con-
ductor in railroad travel was ordained.
1t was Philadelphia which gave both
to the world.
One Of the Oldest railroads in the
country IS the Philadelphia, Whining
ton and Baltimore, now known as the
Philadelphia, Baltimore and washing
ton, which was opened In 1897 The
terminus in Philadelphia was at Broad
and Prime Prime street now
being known as Washington avenue
and after crossing the Schuylkill river
at Grays Ferry the route ran along the
Delaware river on what is now the
Chester line Of the Reading railway.
The first schedule contained one pas
senger train. which went to Baltimore
one day and came back the next, which
was considered remarkable feat in
rapid travel. When train a day each
way was placed In service the people
Of the two cities served concluded that
the acme of convenience In transporta-
ton had been reached.
Next TO the president Of the railroad
the most important functlonaries were
question whether or not the head OF
the line was not considered subsidi.
AIRY officer In popular estimation TO the
men who ran the train, but Robert
Fogg, who pulled the throttle. and
John Wolf, who collected fares, won
the Difference Of the public because Of
their high and responsible duties.
Fogg. an Englishman, had oil the
tenaclty of opinion Of his race. Wolf,
an American, had the ingenuity OF the
Yankee and. seeing the need OF some
method by which he could communl-
cato with the engineer, devised the
scheme Of running a cord through the
cars TO the locomotive. as the engine
was a wood burner Wolf fastened one
end Of the cord to log, which was
placed on the engineers seat and was
pulled 10 the floor when the conductor
desired to signal for stop.
Fogg resented what he considered an
Interference with his rights on the
platform of the locomotive and on the
first run out from Broad and Prime
streets with the new device paid no
heed to the displacement of the log
from the seat when the conductor de
sired TO take on a passenger from a
farm near Gray's Ferry bit sped on
over the bridge aud did not deign to
bring hls engine to a stop until Blue
Bell station. on tho south side Of the
Schuylkill, had been reached. Then
he demanded to know Of Wolf why he
had been Jerking that log all about the
locomotive.
Wolf holly declared that he had sig
nailed 70 stop, but Togg rctorted that
he would stop when and where he
pleased and that too, without any ref
erence TO orders from the conductor,
whom he cid not regarl as his superior
IN the management Of the train. The
alteration grew very hented. and Wolf
Invited the engineer from the cab 70
settle the matter and the challenge
was quickly accepted
Passengers and a group Of MN who
had gathered at the atntion to see the
traIn come in formed a ring about tho
combatants, but the tight did not last
long, as Wolf proved by far the SUI