The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-26
WILLARD AGAIN AT THROTTLE OF
 GIANT ENGINES

Baltimore, Jan. 26-On some of the night trains running between New York and Baltimore railroad em- ployes standing at Baltimore and Ohio stations during the. past week, perhaps noticed as the big locomotives whisked by an individual with iron gray hair and pleasing countenance seated in the cab with the engineer and observing closely every movement made by the hand on the throttle. That man was Daniel Willard, presi- dent of the Baltimore & Ohio, and probably the most talked of railroad executive in America today. Riding the engines of both passen- ger and freight trains is only one of many of the difficult tasks which MT. Willard has imposed upon himself during the current week to make the Baltimore & Ohio more efficient, so that it can render greater service to i the country during the war crisis. | It is during the night when the | world is asleep that railroading is the more difficult. It is the time when laxity sometimes occurs that causes the delays in moving trains over the big systems. And it was at night that MT. Willard made up his mind to get a. closeup view of operating conditions at the Baltimore l terminals.
 But he did not stop here. After he had satisfied himself that things were going right he decided to turn 1 back the pages of his career to the time when he rode in an engine cab as the engineer. This has been a good many years ago.
 MT. Willard has not forgotten the thrill of those days when he rode his locomotive with a train going sixty miles an hour. This week, how ever, the head of the Baltimore & Ohio system was not after thrills. He wanted to know whether the engineers were running their engines properly,
 whether the delicate parts in those engines were kept in good order and whether they could be depended upon at all times to do the tasks they were
 built to do.
 There is not any part of an en- zine that President Willard does not understand. He knows a locomotive
 like a book and the engineers at the Riverside roundhouse and on the big
 engines that pull the trains between
 Baltimore and New York discovered
 this fact this week.
 On one or two occasions MT. Will
 lard observed that an engineer was
 not properly controlling his throttle, ) That is not the right way, John,' 9
 said MT. Willard courteously; "try it
 this way as he caught hold of the , throttle and opened it like an ex-
 perienced man should.
 "By George" said the engineer, 'the
 big boss hasn't forgotten how to han de the Iocomotive!" as he resumed his position in the cab
 MT. Willard was seeking efficiency : in the running of locomotives, for after all that is vital phase of rail-
 roading.
 In the repair shops MT. Willard in- sisted upon every man doing his bit : for the government during the war He impressed upon them the necessity
 of working overtime if the occasion
 required it.
 For instance" said MT. Willard, eli
 an engine is in need of repair it should
 be repaired immediately, even though
 some of you have to remain longer al ! work. Every 24 hours delay in nov.
 ing to the seaboard freight which
 should go abroad to our troops means : A hours delay in the trenches of Flu rope. Remember that"
 This was the patriotic note sound. or hu MT in Mount Clare shops. Persons who ! heard his talk to the Mount Clare mer say that it was one of the greatest ad- : made to another
 The head of the Baltimore & Ohio is determined to increase the efficiency of his road so that it can render the
 very best possible service to the coun- try. And he appreciates the fact tha- ' when he is getting greater efficie 1cy 1T | operation he is strengthening the arm | of the government in preparing tc | strike the death blow 70 Prussian mili
 tarism. He never fails to send this lesson home to every employe of the Baltimore & Ohio.
 | l Less than a week ago MT. Willard = returned to Baltimore again to assume : his duties with the Baltimore & Ohio
 having resigned as chairman of the
 war industries board so that he could
 devote his entire time to railroad mat ters. But he would not content him. ! self win handling matters from the
 third floor of the Baltimore & Ohio
 central building.
 He wanted to get out among the
 thousands of Baltimore & Ohio em
 ployes and have them speed things up
 He wanted to tell them that in doing this they were not only serving theil railroad but their country and theil flag.
 l. He has practically forgotten that ht o is railroad official, and he wants tn, n men in the shops and in the train ser
 vice to forget it too. But he does d want them to remember that they ar, $ soldiers, as he is a soldier, in the rail It road ranks, who can do as effectiv, Il work in this war. crisis as the mel
 "Over There"
 e RUSS TO CHOOSE
 NAXTA nE FTTTn0