Republican farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1810-1920, 1918-02-01
WILLARD AGAIN
AT THROTTLE OF
GIANT ENGINES

York and Baltimore railroad en-
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 or 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 Mr.,
Willard has imposed upon himself
Baltimore & Ohio more efficient, so
that it can render greater service to
the country during the war crisis.
1t is during the night when the
world is asleep that railroading is
the more difficult. 1t is the time
when laxity sometimes occurs that
causes the delays in moving trains
over the big systems. And it was
at night that Mr.. Willard made up
his mind to get closeup view OF
operating conditions at the Baltimore
terminals,
But he did not stop here. After
he had satisfied himself that things
were going right he decided to turn
back the pages of his career to the
time when he rode in an engine cab
as the engineer. This has been q
good many years ago.
Mr.. 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-
CINE that President Willard does not
understand He knows 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 Mr.. Will
lard observed that an engineer was
not properly controlling his throttle
That is not the right way, John,
said Mr. 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, 1.-The
big boss hasn't forgotten how to han
die the locomotive" as he resumed
his position in the cab
Mr.. Willard was seeking efficiency
in the running of locomotives, for
after all that is a vital phase of rail-
reading.
In the repair shops Mr.. 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 Mr.. Willard, eff
an engine is in need of repair it should
be repaired Immediately, even though
some of you have to remain longer at
work. Every "a hours delay in NOV
ing to the seaboard freight which
should go abroad to our troops means
"a hours delay in the trenches of Eu-
rope. Remember that"
This was the patriotic note sound
ed this week. by Mr.. Willard in the
Mount Clare shops. Persons who
heard his talk to the Mount Clare men
say that it was one of the greatest ad-
dresses that one railroad man ever
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 that
when he is getting greater efficiency in
operation he is strengthening the arm
of the government in preparing tc
strike the death blow to Prussian mill
tarism. He never fails to send this
| lesson home to every employe of the
Baltimore & Ohio.
Less than a week ago Mr.. Willard
returned to Baltimore again to assume
! Ills dull6S Will Tie c CQ1O,
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 with handling matters from the
third floor of the Baltimore & Ohio
central building.
He wanted to get out among the
thousands of Baltimore &, Ohio EN-.
ployes and have them speed things up
He wanted to tell them that in doing
this they were not only serving Their
railroad but their country and theil
| flag.
He has practically forgotten that he
is railroad official, and he wants the
men in the shops and in the train ser.
vice to forget it too. But he does
want them to remember that they are
soldiers, as he is a soldier, in the rail.
road ranks, who can do as effective
work in this war crisis as the mer
"Over There
ICE FREES TUGS
|