Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-13
BY THADDEUS S. DAYTON

Tie was III Inc CAD Oh "a LIdlIl OIlt
day, so the story goes. There were no double
track railroads in those days, and trains had
to lie out on sidings and wait for the train
bound in the opposite direction to come
along. However long the delay, the train
on the siding waited.
On this particular occasion Minot's train
took its siding. The operator at the little
country station strolled over, remarking
that the train in the opposite direction had
got stalled on the grade some fifty miles
down the line, and that it would be two or
three hours before she could patch up her
leaky flues and get power enough to climb
the hill.
Minot was in hurry, and he decided to
telegraph down the line that the train he was
on would not wait at the siding but would
proceed; for station agents to watch out for
the other train and have it wait on the sid
ing nearest the spot where they would meet.
The engineer refused pointblank to take any
such risk saying that it was against all rail-
road law and custom. Minot finally dis
charged him, put him off the engine, and ran
the train himself to the end of the division,
keeping posted by telegraph at each station.
Everything worked out just as he had
planned, and was SO satisfactory that he at
once inaugurated a system of moving all
trains on telegraph signals.
THE way the bcllcord came into use is
about as interesting railroad tradition
as there is. Nearly everyone of the older lines
in the country claims to have originated it.
One of the likeliest claimants is the Balti-
more & Ohio. In those early days most of
the conductors takings were cash fares and
tickets were a rarity. Disputes with people
who either couldn't or wouldn't pay were
therefore of frequent occurrence. To put
these off, stopping the train between sta
tions, the conductor had to send brakeman
ahead over the freight cars and make a
polite request of the engineer.
A bright young B. & O. conductor one day
devised plan to signal the engineer with
out sending the brakeman forward. He
hung stick on the engine cab and hitched
to one end of it a clothesline which he ran
back over the tops of the cars SO that the
stick would wriggle when the rope was
pulled. He carefully explained his scheme
to the engineer. The latter looked at it
scornfully and made no answer. Three
quarters of century ago the man in the
cab was a high and mighty person to whom
no mere conductor could give orders.
This run started, and it was not long be-
fore the engineer saw the stick signaling him
to stop. Instead of even slowing up, he let
out the throttle few notches and grinned
at his fireman. At the next station they
had to lie out for another train, and the
young conductor came ahead with fire in his
eve The engineer finally climbed down from
his cab and showed fight. Fortunately for
railroad history the conductor was the
stronger man. Stick signals were thereafter
obeyed on that train.
Almost Immediately the story reached the
ears of the superintendent. He at once saw
the conductors idea was capital one, and
set about installing the bellcord signal sys-
tenn, practically the same as it exists today.