Year: 1871

respect paid to conductors and th'


way they were obeyed by passen


gers. But passengers will ask ques


tions when you are waiting, and it''


provoking. One day 1 was out o
| time, and ran off on switch to wal


for either the down train or tele


gram to come on. By and by {


pompous man came to me as 1 was


sitting on the fence.


"Mr. Conductor" says he, 'what


are we waiting for?"
| "For the down train-we're out
of time. There's a single track here
and she has the right of way"
"But suppose the down train is
behind toop'


"Then they'll telegraph"


"But suppose they don't telegraph
you, how long will you stay?"
"Till the wheels rust off," said l


He went back to the coach, growl
ing something about having an en-.
gagement in town at the hour the
train was due, and 1 afterwards
found out that he was the Vice
President of the Road. But he was
a sensible fellow, though quick
tempered, and I stood better with
the officers for what 1 had said. He
used to poke heavy fun at me some
times, and recommend me to wet the
wheels and they would rust of
sooner.
It's astonishing how reckless
some railroad men become. l was
on side track waiting out of time
once, and a fellow comes to me and
says.
"Why don't you 60 on?"


Because my orders are to stay %
l said, rather sharply.


He was the new superintendent, a
young fellow I had never seen, be
cause he had just come to the road.
He was courting girl on the line
of the road, 1 afterwards found out,
and had an engagement to go to a
ball with her that night, which this
lay over interferred with. So he
says, very quickly.


No they amt" And when I
looked surprised, he says, II am the
Superintendent of this road, and 1
tell you you've time to get over
this bit of single track and have
three minutes to spare before the
down train reaches it. I have cal
culated, and I know"


"Pve got my printed orders Mr..
Superintendent" said I; but he
broke right in q
"Never mind your printed orders.
I order you to go ahead"


Well, I wouldn't, and he was aw-
fully mad, and swore that I should
not run week longer on that road.
Probably, after he had cooled down
he would have never said word
about the matter, for he was clearly
in the wrong. Three minutes is too
close a shave on time when six or
seven hundred peoples lives are in
terested, and regular printed orders
are to be obeyed till other regular
printed orders are issued. But I
thought, at first, he'd complain to
the President, and I was bound to
have the. first talk, if possible.


The President heard my story,
and sent for the Superintendent. He
denied that he had ordered me at
all, or made any threats; but said
that he had told me 1 had ten min
utes to spare. So it was question
of veracity, and began to think 1
would be sent back to run my train,
and that running a train on that
road wouldn't be my business very
long.


Ali at once gentleman, who had
been sitting with a newspaper held
in front of his face at the back of
the Office, came forward.


"Mr. President" said he, 81 hap
pened to be standing by these two
men when they had their talk. The
conductor is right, and the other
man lies. If the train had gone on
1 had made up my mind to walk
back to the last station-the chance
of an accident seemed so great"


Then the President was mad.


"Why, good heavensr' said he,
'my wife and family were on that
train. Mr.. Superintendent, go and
draw your wages to the first Of next
month, and leave the road nowr'


But sometimes conductor is put
in such a position that the rules
won't guide him. Then the respon-
sibility is very great. I remember
once being so placed, and thought
at the time that my hair ought to
have turned white that night with
anxiety.


It was when the Hudson River
Railroad was built. There was no
telegraph along the line, and every
thing was quite primitive compared
to what it is now. The flag men
had got on sort of strike about
those days, too, so that you trusted
to luck for rate running. Twas run
ming sort of way train between
New York and Poughkeepsie then.
Running an express is much pleas
anter than running a way, you may
easily imagine.


Well, ran the train out of New
York one afternoon, and 1 had for
the driver of the engine man who
was famous for the accurate way in
which he would come up to his
stations. He would stop any named
coach almost to foot where he said
ne would, but on that occasion he
appeared to have poor luck. He ran
past his stations and had to back
down, and then again he would stop
so short that the engine would be in
front of the station and the rear
coach would be an eighth of a mile
back, and it was raining hard, too.
Then he'd start up again just as the
passengers were getting out. So we
were kept funning behind time all
the while. There was a sort of
train came out from New
,ro