Show I WhY th Railroad Telegrapher phel Quit t HE severe strain under which jJ THE T train r ln i dispatchers and unc telegraph operators work ad admitted Onoe In a they break ble own and then thoro Is 15 a wreck I rh n of the responsibility ns and sometimes som the il dead ad e gi 70 s down downto l to ns as another case of orders TIlo Cleveland Plain Dealer I of Why Te Quit tells ait ux up the SS SSt t to pull through with without j out a wreck Jt Hero IB l his story I met the t now he heri ri wanted what I for tOL I told him Ho He sort of screwed Ms his f face up and whistled soft But ho h hI say anything Ho He understood why I 1 quit I tho time Ive heard CL on trains how fast con com comfortable I and sate safe travel Is nowadays L And 1 wonder If sleep sou i In IIi their ther berths If they know I now the tho chances they taking Ive had ten years of It and antl once I Iran Ii i run ran a n railroad nil 01 one Ol e night But nov nev never nover er er again The Tho dispatcher was Vas compe competent Ir tent enough but new to the division mid he got all balled up at tha tho start t I Iliad had tho desk next to his copying Jacc Jackl Jfe o says his forehead for head pour pouring pourIng ing sweat though tho office was ono nono l I w have hao to run the di IH n tor me tonight W And I did It 1 pile any trains train Jl up but I had tho looking rail rall railroad road you ou ever et saw Took fook the first trick l men all ull day to untangle rd the trains i Hut coming to the thing that I med of railroading I was at Ash Ashtabula h ht t i in a dinky little shanty with witha jr a stove l It and not much else tl rh first section of FF FE No 51 was due at midnight PF FF means me fi st t freight it you rou dont No 54 5 I was followed by In three other oth r about 10 minutes minu s apart No 54 4 east eastbound I st bound as t meet t No 11 II DF of r throe sections westbound somewhere between and Jl H miles away Some time before midnight I got or 01 order der No 93 S from the dispatcher at Con He says to copy coP nine that Is I Ia X a copy of or the Border for fOL tiie conductor rind and engineer of each of the four foul SOC sec sections and one for fOL Ir malting making nine nino In nil all No Xo 98 ill II a II order on the tho first sec se of 54 o A fill few minutes lat l combs No 99 also copy 1 which a s CI I aR Or j 54 Is which tl t older at pit further east cast where wh re It was wn to walt wait for fOl all three sections of west westbound westbound bound 41 WHERE THE TROUBLE STARTED When the 51 54 came camo In I 1 delivered both orders to the conductor c nd ctol and engi engineer en l neer and got their alls nil all right I Il remember member l Pease os the engineer and ho said This Is no Rood good to me in and crumpling up order 98 in his hand it away The conductor did the tho same You understand that for fOl them order US 98 waa annulled d But their action of tossing the tho order away awa Impelled me m absentmindedly db to do likewise I crumpled up l p my m order and tossed It Il through the window It was a bad night snowing and blowing hard I told the dispatcher that the first 54 6 was held up at L LS S A freight was crossing He says Ia o It and let him know when second The Tho second third and fourth 54 came camo got their theIL orders and went I got the tho two necessary to order ordel 99 from each section sc Then I sent Bent the to tho dispatcher teher to show him I 1 was wa on the job and that the iho sections had their order He comes back at me quick Go ahead 98 Right here I went crazy craz Order No 98 annulled for the first section was aR Intended for tor the three sec sections sections following And I had not dell delivered ered it to them T could sec ROC the first two sections meeting and piling up somewhere In that stretch of snow covered track trac I 1 jumped up and did a fool trot I around the stove and back pulling my m hah The dispatcher was waiting and andI I knew It Go ahead sigs 98 ho repeated sending was Impatient SENT OUT T A LIE LIB Of course I had the namOR They The were on order 90 10 All I had to do was copy copy them Without reasoning that It was a wicked thing to do or that It was as only onI making a II terrible mistake worse T sat Oat down ami with Ith fingers that trembled I sent tho Iho dispatcher a aHe 1 He T r sent him hh 1 tho th which was the saying order 98 had been be n delivered to second third and fourth ul 5 Then followed two of the most fright frightful ful rul hours h urR I J ever eyer endured I pictured the tho awful wreck which I was convinced f was tl r of oC The two first sec sections sections head on Because n of the tho f the night flags could hot t be seen spen far ta behind tI Tho following sections would hit tin ono one af aC after tel ter L Jc uld see Ie the dead and dying d hear he the thc screech of r escaping steam awful impact as the trains met l le SUSPENSE no telegraph l stations be Ashtabula and Conneaut There w f absolutely l tel nowa to find out lUt what I J hal done Ione b my care carelessness I could eo ld only nh walt wait straining for the t to t C the coming Into Int Ashtabula Then lh n I would lt know Im that th t i m hi w 41 had l ill got through But thing happen TI c trains meet It I was iaz before lie Co i I 11 it a maniac n anla now n w 1 ran r n ut the storm stormI I f raced Laced g lild falling Calling over O L track tr I slunk back nt the shanty shant I r lout T I May Ih down don and aud audroy roy lcd Y tin if Oo t Then I sans sang and shouted d trying to 10 forget I i hours h urs Now No this Js what h t was happening l while I Ii rayed Laved 54 lost time Ullie in est ir nd It lt re cheu ira gra grayol yol yel pit were right behind Ami Al d there was 41 tho th AIst first section In I sight on on tho tl o his the tho following sec thc In ln front da f gravel grayel pit Is only long longI I I 1 for QI twp sections so o it a alot alot lot nf of backing und and switching to tn got gl the theto two to trains by l what made malic It 1 so late at nL Ashtabula The two hours hourI passed and hope died knew knew the trains hat had met Else Why was i 41 so late ALU 11 1 I was WilS hollering I J recall when 1 hoard heard a Lt sound which at first 1 tool took for formy forILl my ILl own voice yet et coming comins from a u dis distance distance tance 1 I knew I f was crazy then The rhe sound so II 1111 was as repeated repealed and I Jumped to tho floor And there th e shining shilling through the fall fail fallIng failIng Ing snow Ibid and growing larger largel every eYer ce and ond was as the headlight of oC the first 41 Then t r cried hollered like a I and hands hand with my myself In self and andi Jumped up and down wn When tl e dayl man came came t put on n my m coat cout and hat set down at the key for rOL the thelast I last time and called old friend Billy Summers on Ko 2 My ly message was I to the tho chief Accept Ac ept my m resignation at once |