The new South-news., 1908-10-10

knew what became OF the engine drI-
YER Before ne went. however. he
sent a full report Of the. occurrence
to headquarters. end the man was
in all probability discharged
According 10 the latest reports OF
the Adobe disaster. the accident WAS
caused by the negligence Of a tele-
graph operator and sisnalman who
aware that the fsted train had passed
his station. This is one OF the CON-
monest and most dinicult dangers 70
deal with. confronting railroad on
GERS. The strain Of keeping awake
during the hours when a person IS
normally In bed, In a little way s<a-
'ion where only three or four trains
pass In the course OF the night. Ia
greater than any person can realize
who has not experienced IT,
Every sort OF device has been re-
sorted 10 by the railroad companies
to insure that the men along the line
are awake and doing their duty. Spe-
ciai calls are sent over the wires 10
the different agents at frequent In
teryals, they are obliged TO report
10 the train dispatcher every hour or
two, and the conductors Of passing
trains are called upon to notify head
quar.era Of any evidences OF careless
ness on the part OF the operators
they may notice as they go up and
! down the road. In spite of these
precautions. every little while opera
tors 20 70 sleep. as the Adobe acct
I dent shows. The following incident
illustrates the fact that men who
have attained 10 higl positions in
| railroad life were themselves some
times guilty OF subtcrfuges as under
lings which they were later anxious
TO detect and punish in their subor-
dinates.
A man who ended his career as
{ president OF the Lake Shore Road be-
gan lie as q station agent. and IS
credited by his associates with IN
venting wnat was perhaps the first
automatic signal ever put into prac-
teal operation. The station OF which
he was In charge lay far out on the
| prairies In Illinois. and with the ex-
ception OF two expresses and a
through freight. there WAS no night
traiiic. The express trains passed
the station early In the evening, and
after that there was a long stretch
OF lonely waiting until the freight
went by about 3 o'clock In the morn
Ing. The agent tried improving his
mind with study, and then took to
modelling In clay.
| Neither OF these schemes worked,
so he was finally forced to put aside
the promise he had made his moth
er never to gamble" and Joined
the round robin poker game which
is as old as the institution OF nigh,
telegraphy. Each man deals himself
poker hand. and then. as his turn
comes round, calls his play. The
stakes are always small, ard are for
warded TO the winner by The hand of
friendly conductor or brakeman
The poker game became Cresome al
ter a time. and tho agent compro-
missed still further with his conscl-
ence. His sole duty after the freight
went by WAS to set the rel lxht In
the middle o. lse iracn, 81 N . any
.lollQMing train i.at the ..al ,ru, NAV
to the operator at the nas st4ion to
warn him that the freiglt was on the
way. The agent decided sfter'tR"k
Ing the matter over thai so longrs I
the signal was set. and e. 9 next agshA
notified, IT made no difference Nv
what means the end was attained.
lie therefore spent the whole next
few evenings perfecting device that
would allow him to go to sleep with
out danger OF being detected. The
signal was crude one, but 1t an
swered It's purpose In an age when
railroading was haphazard at the
best. In after years this man was
wont to say that one OF the first
things he did after he became a divi-
sion superintendent. was to install
telegraph outfit In his bedroom so
that he could cut In on the main line
OF hts division during the night and
discover whether he was talking TO
man or a machine New York
Evening Post