Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-13
SENSE BEATS NERVE
Especially Valuable is the First in the
Handling of Trains.
PRESENCE OF MIND IS THE THING
Quick wit of Railroad Men Saved
Trains Where Dare Devil
Courage Would Have
Failed.

You may talk about your heroes, your
brave men and trainmen who are not afraid
Of anything" remarked the division super
ntendent. but I'll take 'em with common
sense and presence OF mind"
"Of course" he remarked, as he settled
Taxation from the cares of running 200 miles
of railway. I'm perfectly willing to praise
a brave deed or a daring fest-if it does
the company good. But We don't reward our
men just because they deserve hero medal
for some brave act which they would not
have had to perform If they had shown
presence Of mind in the first place.
IT'S a ticklish proposition sometimes to
determine just what is bravery and what
is only recklessness. 1t wouldn't make a
bit of difference on this division il a man
was a hero II he had shown he was reck-
less We don't care to have the Daredevil
Dicks around. They're too dangerous
But give me the man with the presence
of mind and I'll show you trainman who
will get himself out of any tight pinch.
Il know what presence Of mind means.
Over on an Indiana electric line a couple
OF years ago one dispatcher happened to
possess a brain-a rare attribute you can
be sure. One day after a night at double
trick-he had been working without sleep
twenty hours or more-he made a mistake.
DisDatcher's BIunder.
He sent an eastbound limited out with
orders to meet westbound local at a certain
siding. Then he gave the local orders 70
meet the other train at a siding half a mile
west OF the point where the crew of the
limited IN . ka
Two minutes later he realized his mis-
take. He knew the local, speeding west.
would collide with the faster car before II
could reach the siding which its crew sup
posed was the meeting place.
AS II happened the dispatcher had indi-
Gated different sidings, each at the end of
straight track stretches, which approached
long curve. He knew the collision would
occur on the curve, at point where the
crew or neither car could see the other
until tbs two trains were SO near together
that an accident could not be prevented.
II the disaptcher had been one of those
brave men who lose their heads and start
to be heroes, probably half a hundred per-
sons would have been killed OF MANNED
But he was different sort He realized his
mistake and knew he had but a minute to
act
He grasped a telephone, called for the
engineer OF the nearest power plant and
had him shut off the current Both cars
stopped. Their crews stood idly by for a
few minutes expecting the current would
be turned on at once. When they saw the
delay was becoming serious, one man from
each Of the crews ran back TO the nearest
telephone.
What's the matter with the Juice7''
they asked the dispatcher. the two calls
coming in from the different telephones at
almost the same instant. Jones. the limited
Is just around the curve. he told the motor
man OF the local. Then he impaired the
same intelligence 10 the motormAn OF the
faster car
Both realized their close call. The acct
dent was. OF course. prevented, but the