Hebron,
congratulating me on my success. But Bennett--well, the rating he gave
me was worth going miles to hear. He said that never in his life had he
taken such a ride, nor would he ever volunteer to ride behind a crazy
engineer again. But I didn't care; I had pulled the train in as I said I
would, and the engine was in good shape, barring a hot driving box. I
may add, however, that I don't care to make any such trip again myself.

We went back on a mail train that night, that was run by a non-union
engineer, and in a day or two the strike was declared off, the men
returned to work, and peace once more reigned supreme. Daniels got his
"old girl" in as good shape as ever, and once when he was up in my
office he told me he had hoped that old 341 would get on the rampage
that day I took her out and "kick the stuffin'" out of that train and
every one on it. Poor old Daniels, he stuck to his "old girl" to the
last, but one day he struck a washout, and as a result received a "right
of track order," on the road that leads to the paradise of all
railroaders.

CHAPTER XVII

CHIEF DESPATCHER--AN INSPECTION TOUR--BIG RIVER WRECK

I had always supposed that the higher up you ascended in any business,
the easier would be your position and the happier your lot. What a
fallacy, especially in the railroad service, where your
responsibilities, work, care, and worries increase in direct proportion
as you rise! The operator's responsibility is limited to the correct
reception, transmission, delivery and repetition of his orders and
messages; the despatcher's to the correct conception of the orders and
their transmission at the proper time to the right train; but the chief
despatcher's responsibilities combine not only these but many more. A
despatcher's work is cut out for him, just as the tailor would cut his
cloth for a journeyman workman, and when his eight hour trick is done,
his work for the day is finished and his time is his own. Not so the
chief. His work is never done; he works early and late, and even at
night when he goes home utterly tired out from his long day, he is
liable to be called up to go out on a wrecking outfit, or to perform
some special duty. As soon as anything goes wrong on a division the
first cry is, "Send for the chief despatcher." Almost everybody on the
division is under his jurisdiction except the division superintendent,
and sometimes I have seen that mighty dignitary take a back seat for his