The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-09-18

one can tell what he may do next.
This adage, attributed by them 10 the
official in charge OF transportation on
the canals of Egypt, has been adopt
ed by the general managers OF rail-
roads in this country, as their own
particular property. IL has unques-
tionably been heavily overworked In
times past as applied TO the man un-
derneath," in accounting TO the pub
lie for wrecks which were really duo
to lack OF judgment and foresight on
the part OF the operating officials and
their superiors, the board OF direc-
tors. There have been many instances
in the history OF American railroad
ing, however, where "asleep at his
post" or forgot his orders" was the
true explanations for bad accidents,
with either enginemen. signalmen or
train dispatchers as the offenders.
From the latest accounts OF the ter
rible wreck at Adobe, Col. last week,
that disaster was clearly caused by a
lapse Of this kind on the part OF one
of the Denver and Rio Grande agents.
In the face OF negligence of the
sort that killed upward OF forty peo-
pie in Colorado, the railroads are al
most helpless. There Is little that
can be done to guard against such in
difference to duty as that shown by n
man who will, no matter how great
his fatigue, fall asleep knowing that
hundreds OF lives are dependent upon
his vigilance. The railroads use the
utmost care in hiring men, and do
everything to make sure that they
are performing their duty conscien-
tiously. Once in while, however,
fool Will get by the boards OF examin-
ers by whom all railroad employees In
responsible positions are now hired,
and, when he does. only too often 1t
takes a wreck to show him up.
A FIagman Who Lost His Head"
Twenty years ago, one Of the large
railroads OF the East was poor. There
never has been n time when 1t hasn't
been poor, but at this particular pc
riod the treasury had but recently
been looted for the third time in ten
years. The salaries OF some of the
officers were I'm arrears, and wrecks
were unpopular, not so much from
the danger to human life as the cost
OF rebuilding the roadbed and repair
ing the equipment. On certain d.
vision OF this railroad there was
young civil engineer who had been
but few years out OF college. BY
midnight raids on the equipment
piles" OF the neighboring divisions he
had succeeded IN building mp the sec
ton OF the lire over which he was
"road master" until It became the
envy OF the other division roadmas-
ters, and attracted the notice OF 1.-The
old man" himself. AS Lowell said
OF two OF Emersons associates:
"They might strip every tree and 'E
would never catch 'cm,
His Hesperides have no rude dra-
gon to watch 'om;
When they send him a dishful. and
Ask him TO try 'em,
He never suspects how the SLY
rogues came by 'em;
He wonders why { is there are none
such his trees on
And thinks 'em the best he has
tasted this season"
Thanks 20 a sly old Irish foreman
with pretty knack at raiding, the
young roadmaster was laying a foun-
dation for a record breaking future,
when he had wreck and a bad one.
He was laying new track on section
of his division shut off from the rest
OF the line by heavy curve. One OF
the section hands was sent back with
torpedoes and a red flag 10 warn
trains TO come on slow" He was
particularly warned to look out for
an express which was due about half
an hour after he went out. The
track gang had Just lifted an old rail
preparatory TO letting in a new one
when this train rounded the curve at
full speed and went into the ditch.
Disregarding everything else, the
young engineer. knowing that his
reputation was at stake. ran back TO
the spot where he had posted the
fiagman. taking the foreman and n
laborer with him as witnesses They
found the man as pale as death sit
ting by the side of the track, his flag
beside him. He was trembling like a
leaf. and the only explanation he
could give for his failure TO signal
the engineer was that the onrushing
train frightened him so that he was
unable TO move hand or foot. I'm
probable as this seems. subsequent
Investigation proved that the same
man was discharged from another
road for having failed TO flag a train
that he had been sent out to stop.
The swift approach of a train appar-
emily affected him in much the same
way that standing on the edge of
precipice does some persons.
A Strange Case of "Nervcs."
The tendency toward sudden
"panic" on the part of men of this
class who have once been involved In
a wreck, constitutes a real danger in
railroad life. and explains why IL is