Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-29
RAILROAD OFFICIAL
TO DEFENSE Of THE
POOR AGENT
HOT SHOTS FOR CRITICS
WHO WAIT FOR TRAINS
Two Sides TO Question De-
clareS Well Known Brass
Collar Who Shows What
Company is Up Against.

\ short time slnce, the Morning
Journal told the narrowing story OF
the traveller who was kept waiting at
Lamy for some forty-seven cold and
weary hours, n who advocated Tex
as commission railroad methods for
New Mexico TO make the company run
It's trains on time. He believed the
| travelling worm would turn In time.
Instead the railroad worm has turned
several summersaults and comes back
at the Morning Journal With an in
dignant communication setting forth
The company's side OF the proposition,
! The letter. which is written By a prom
| inent traffic official, well known In
these diggings. Is as follows:
Regarding the attached which
| appeared in the Journal of the nth,
am willing 20 admit that the public
have cause Tor complaint, but | don't
like to overlook all opportunity OF
starting an argument, whenever /
iiitvc an opportunity, regarding COM
plants such as referred 10. OF course.
I don't know the author Of this arti-
| Gle. nor how much travelling ne has
done. and right in the beginning | am
going to admit that there is 4 big
chance for Improvement in the reports
that are sent GU regarding delayed
trains. But on the other hand. l
would like TO ask the author OF this
article If he was ever on a train that
was wrecked. or was delayed by q
wreck or n washout, and If SO. IL it
ever occurred to him what kind of q
report he would send out IF he were
superintendent OF the railroad For
example. take a train that is due
from the north in Albuquerque at T:45
p. m. We are asked about 10 O'Clock
in the morning how this train is:
this train reported out of Ration i
hour and so minutes late. and barring
unusual conditions, it Is the earnest
effort Of every traininaster to get this
train on time. Naturally If Albuquer-
que has a report he will say the train
is l hour so minutes late. Now this
train makes up 80 minutes running
to Las Vegas. II some one in Albu-
querque should ask us how the train
was ut the exact time il reached Las
Vegas. and If it were possible t. get
Al immediate report out from Las
Vegas that the train had made up so
minutes. the report would be hen
that the train was l hour and 20 min
utes late. Now, %supposing that after
the train reaches Glorieta and has
made UP Is minutes more, that it
gets a hot box. or even wrecked. Then
l would like to ask you how it is pos
sible TO get a correct report OF how
late IL will be reaching Albuquerque.
or In the case of n washout that is
even say five miles from a telegraph
station. The train runs up 70 this
washout. then l would like to ask you
how YOU are going to tell when you
viii be able to get over it, Doesn't
II depend on the material that you
happen 10 have on hand at this wash
out, and a good deal on how much
water is running? In fact, aren't
there 81 many elements that enter in
IL 1t hat 1t Is impossible to give out
correct Information Admitting that
"A train can reasonably be supposed
To be . hours late. and that every cf-
fort Is being made 60 cut this time
down. would you as superintendent,
tell some passenger at Lamy for *
ample, hat the train was and would
be = hours late. or would you ten him
that il would be l hour and 90 min
utes late. feeling that If YOU were
sure il was . hours late that you
might be over talking Go John Pflue-
ger. and get left; then YOU would have
Il in for the railroad Many times
trains are reported into functions two
A.w. a. 10 -..a -. sl-ra ft. -nf..
master is figuring on splitting this
train up and running 1t in two see
tions. thereby enabling him TO cut
down the delay. lie may be figuring
on using some engine that is not yet
out OF the shop. He may find cut 81
the last minute that the engine is not
available. Then how in the world
can he keep tn people all along the
line in touch with all these conditions?
| would like to ask the author of this
article, some time when he is on q
late train, not to accopt what the
passengers say about the delay, but
TO actually go u and lind out. thon
put himself right in the position OF
the trainmaster. and figure out just
kind pf Information he would
give to a station zoo or 500 miles
away. | believe he will find that he
viii be in the same position that YOU
would be IL The crankshaft in our
press would break about the time YOU
out the first 100 papers. Novel
II some one should call tor their pa
per ten minutes later, you would have
to tell them something about the time
YOU thought you would be in opera
tion again. Now il your machinist
was on a strike or had worked the
full limit allowed By law, and had to
take a rest. YOU might have to find
machinist; you might find
this new machinist had the govt
and couldn't serve. and last VI all YOU
might find out that YOU would have
10 send to the factory for the crank
SHAFT II thar was q fact. probably
the first information you ave out
be quite a few minutes out OF
line. still the public might lust as
reasonably say that YOU ought to
and tell them whether II was
going 70 be I hour. ; hours. or 3 days
Supposing a train breaks down after
Il leaves Bernailo and that il is re-
on time in Albuquerque. how
the trainmastef make a new rel