The Springdale news., 1918-11-01
THE PUBLIC
BE PLEASED
THE RAILROAD BUREAU FOX
BRICkBATS AND BOUQUETS"
By Theo. H. Price,
Actuary to United States Railroad
Administration.

Administration.
As you fall unconcernedly asleep
in Pullman car, which with all its
draw backs, is the least uncomfort-
able means of travelling at night on
land that has as yet been devised,
did you ever reflect upon the number
of persons and the completely of the
organization upon which you are de-
pendent for the safety and luxury in
which you are able to make your
journey The engineer and the fire
man, the conductor and the brakeman,
the Pullman conductor and the porter
the steward in the dining ear and the
walters are more or less in evidence,
and their presence and the service
they render you may be more or less
conscious. but behind them and direct
ing their activities is an unseen host
of others upon whose vigilance IN
the performing of their duties your
life and comfort depend
There is the train dispatcher and
the telegraph operators, the track
walker who patrols the right of way
day and night, and the section gang
who must always be ready to repair
any defects, the switchmen, and the
inspector who used to 90 about tap
ping car wheels with his tell-tale
hammer at the end of each division.
the .hostler" who takes care of the
engine and the maehinist who repairs
ii, the ear cleaners, the ieeman, the
commissary chief who provisions the
dining car, the ticket agent and the
station master, the red cap" and the
baggageman; if any one of these fails
in his appointed task, the passenger
is almost certain to suffer or be in
convenieneed. Back of these again
there used to be the executive officers,
the president, the various vice-presi-
dents, the general manager and the
superintendent, with scores of other
functionaries who We're the objects
of relentless public criticism if their
subordinates We're careless or ineff-
icient. Now that the railroads are
under the control of the Government
the operative duties of the president
and the vice presidents devolve upon
the Federal manager and his assist
ants. They are IN turn responsible
TO a regional director. who is the rep
resentative of Director General Nc
Adoo at Washington; but in other re-
spects the operating organization is
not much changed and, because some
people. forgetting the exigeneies of
the war, assume that the government
is emnipotent, they are now disposed
to be more, rather than less, exact
ing in demanding perfection of SER
vice from the machine that is called
the American railroad system. Com
posed as this machine IS, of literally
millions of mechanical parts whose
functioning depends upon the eoordi-
mated watchfulness and care Of thou
SalAOS VI idtAiDtN HatilsltA bElIkS. IL Is
really surprising that more accidents
do not occur, and the the reaction of
man upon man does not result in ir-
ritation oftener than is the case
When we consider that a loose spike.
defective rail, misplaced switch.
or a misread signal may precipitate
a trainload of people into eternity.
and that an Vulnerable number of
spikes, rails, switches, and signals.
to say nothing of the air brakes. coup
lings. electric wires. and steam and
water supply pipes. with an engine
having about 10000 separate parts
that make up passenger train must
all be as they should be if we are to
reach our journeys end successfully
and on time, Il is little short of mar.
velous that travel is as safe as II has
become, and that under the strain tn
which they are subjected railroad en-
ployees are not oftener careless and
impatient. 1t is greatly to the ere
dit of the executive officers who
through. three generations had built
up the fabric that is called the Ameri-
can railroad system that they should
have succeeded in developing the es-
prit de corps by which the men under
them were animated. This had been
accomplished in the face of many diff
ficulties, including especially mass