The Forrest City times. [volume], June 05, 1896, Image 1

About The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919

Image provided by: Arkansas State Archives

                
VOL. XXV. FORREST CITY, AUK.. FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 5, 1896. NO. 36.
PROFESSIONAL CARDS.
C. WHITE,
Physician and surgeon,
Offier ovrr Winthrop’* Old Drug Store.
W. H. ALLEY,
Physician and Surgeon,
FORREST CITY, ARK.
Dr. T. M. BAIRD,
Physician : and : Surgeon,
Office In Rollwage Block,
FORREST CITY, - - ARKANSAS
g. W. NORTON. J. M PREWETT.
Norton & Prewett,
Attorneys at Law.
Will practice In the First and Second Judicial 1
Circuits, and in the Federal and
Supreme Courts.
Office in Kolluige llnlldlng, Forrest City. irk.
It. J. IZARD,
Attorney at Law,
Forrest City, Ark.
HUGHES’0LD RaiABLE'
IONIC.
60c & 11.00 bottles. DRUGGISTS HAVE IT.
Dr. Dckcr'i
5 English Remedy I
\ will stop a Cough in one night, check a ?
1 Cold in a day, prevent Croup, relieve \
j Asthma, and, if taken in time, CURE /
S Consumption. )
/ Thrrr Rizwi—25c , 60c.. $1. All Drnff2irtiL I
2 Hcker medicine Co., id * u Chambers St., n.Y. (
LITTLE ROCK, ABK.,
AND ALL POINTS
North, South,
East & West
-take the
Little Rock & Memphis R. R.
Hates the lowest. Time the quickest.
Connections the best
Through Tickets In all Directions on sale.
For any or all information, call on or
address J. H. HARD, Agent.
Forrest City, Ark.
0r H. W. MORRISON, G. P. & T. A.
Little Rock, Ark.
Iron Mountain Route
-THE
Direct and Fopnlar Route to St Louis
Connection* are Made for All Polity*
north, east, west.
THROUGH PULLMAN BUFFET
SLEEPING CARS BETWEEN
Memphis and St Louis.
B-DAILY TRAINS !-3
-—BETWEEN
n.LQDIS and tie SOUTHWEST
IL C. TOWNSEND,
8 Put. and Ticket Agt,
8T. LOUIS MO
NIGHTFALL ON THE FARM.
Upon the porch at even
We two together stood.
And listened to the tinkle
Of sheep-bells In the wood.
The locust trees bent o'er us.
W hlte blossoms dropping down.
And, fringed with flowers, before us
The path lay bare and brown.
W e heard the sheep-bells’ music
I" ar off and dreamy grow;
We saw the white flowers sprinkla
The lawn like flecks of snow;
The roses drew back shyly
Into the silent dark.
But though their haunts were shaded
Their perfume we could mark.
Vp In a locust's branches
A little bird said "cheep"—
Twas all that broke the silence;
The whole world seemed asleep.
Good night,” she said. ”1 love you!"
I said. She did not speak.
But swift she leaned toward me
W ith tears upon her cheek.
Philip L. Barker, in Chicago Record.
THREE TELEGRAPH STORIES.
Showing How Much Depends on
the Railroad Operator.
One of Them Made Up for a Illunder by
Savlug the Limited — An Accident
Where Accidents Were Deemed
an Impossibility.
Said the telegrapher: “Jones was
night operator at a town near Altoona,
on the 1’ennsylv ania railroad. He had
lost a great deal ol sleep and was very
tired. The night wore along and trains
were few. It was hard to keep awake.
Finally the operator in the signal tower
next to the west reported No. 4, the ex
press, passing east. The track was
cleur and Jones pulled the white signal
and waited for No. 4. He had almost
fallen asleep when he was aroused by
the roar of the train as No. 4 swept past
the w hite signal, lie saw the red lights
at the rear of the train as she disap
peared around the curve und he re
ported her to the operator at the sig
nal tower next east and west. Then he
w aited to hear that she had passed the
tower east. Three or four minutes was
all it should have taken her to reach that
tower, but he w aited long after that and
no word came to him. He called up
Smith, the opeator there, and asked
him if No. 4 had passed. Smith said
‘No ' They talked over the wire and
concluded that she had broken down or
been wrecked between the two towers.
"At about that time the train dis
patcher called up and asked anxiously
where No. 4 was. Jones said that she
had passed his tower,and Smith was sure
that she had not passed his. Everybody
was wide awake now, for the train was
certainly lost, and a lost train is a
serious thing on a railroad. The dis
patcher thought that she might have
slipped past without Smith seeing her,
the towers all along the road beyond de
clared that she had not passed them.
A freight going west was stopped at
Jones’ tower and the conductor was
asked if he had seen No. 4 betw een the
two towers, lie said that there was no
sign of her.
"Then the perspiration began to stand
out on the operators and dispatchers.
The track between the two towers lies
along the river. A high stone wall sup
ports it. The only possible explanation
seemed to be that No. 4 had gone over
the wall into the river. She could not
have gone up into the air. Nearly an
hour had passed. The river seemed the
only place where she could be. The
freight conductor received orders to
uncouple his engine and run back
slowly. He ran back past two towers,
but could see nothing of No. 4 on the
track or in the river. There was not
even a displaced rail where she could
have gone over the wall. Then he was
ordered to run slowly west, to see how
tilings looked there. About half way
between Jones’ tower and the one west
or him the express was iounu, >>iui a
broken cylinder head. She had never
passed Jones at all. Jones had dreamed
it, although he declares to this day that
he was " ide awake all the time.
"Jones was iu bad repute fora time,
hut he was not discharged, as he was a
good man, and his mistake had not
caused u wreck. He redeemed him
self within a few weeks. By his pres
ence of mind and quick action he saved
the limited. That was an unusual ease
also. It was the train dispatcher's mis
take, so far as I know, but he may have
been misled by some one else’s blunder.
One day the limited was going east iu
two sections. It is very, very seldom
that the limited runs in more thun one
section. A freight was lying in front
of Jones' tower waiting for the limited
to pass. The train dispatcher sent out
go order saying: 4Xo. 4 (the limited)
will run 40 minutes late.’ That gave
plenty of time for the freight to get to
the next siding. The message should
save read: ‘Second No. 2 will run 40
minutes late.’ The first section was on
time. Jones handed the order to the
conductor of the freight, who went
down out of the tower and started his
train on to the main track.
"Just as the big freight engine began
pulling the telegraph instrument began
ticking, and Jones read a report saying
that the limited had passed the
lower above. It was just around the
curve, not a mile and a half away. It
w as a question of seconds. There was
no time to run down the stairs, aud
it was no use to dr.op the red signal.
The engine had already passed. There
was no time to think. Jones grasped
his ink bottle and his red flag. He ran
out on the balcony in front of the
tower and threw the ink bottle at the
engine. Then he waved the red flag
and j elled with all his might. The bottle
struck the cab and attracted the engi
neer's attention. He looked up and saw
Jones waving the red Hug and j'elling
like a madman. Just at the same mo
ment they both heard the shrill scream
of the limited's whistle as she ap
proached the curve.
"The engineer did not stop to ques
tion w hat it w as. The engine was clear
out on the main track. He reversed
the engine and sent her bumping back
against the heavy train. The forward
motion was stopped, but the train was
so heavy that it would not start back.
About hulf the engine was still on the
main track. The limited sw ung around
; the curve not half a mile away, com
| ing at the rate of 40 miles an hour.
The engineer of the freight showed
wonderful coolness. He ran his engine
forward several feet, so as to separate
| the tirst few ears as far as the draw
] heads would allow, and give him a
j chance to get some momentum in his
j engine going back, and thus start the
I train. The plan is known to all engi
neers, but to deliberately start forward
with the limited in sight took nerve,
j When he had gone a few feet he re
I versed again and sent the big engine
bumping against the train, and she
started back. Jones held his breath and
watched. It was not a question of sec
onds now, but of parts of a second,
whether the freight engine would clear
the switch before the limited or not.
“The two engines seemed almost to
melt together as the limited struck the
j switch, but the great train, w'ith its
i precious burden, went by unharmed,
j The switch was open for the freight,
but it was an automatic spring switch,
and when the limited struck it it was
forced open along the main line. As
soon as the engineer of the limited saw
he was safely past, he put on steam
again, and the great train rolled on
out of sight, without ever stopping to
ask what had been the matter. The
passengers, who were chatting pleasant
ly in the ears, may have wondered why
there had been such a sudden jerk when
the brakes went on just before they
passed the tower, but they never
j dreamed of the danger they had es
caped.
“A more serious ease occurred at a
tunnel on the Pan-Handle. It was a
single-track tunnel, and the ollicers of
the road had perfected a scheme by
which they thought it was impossible
for an accident to occur. A tower was
erected at each end of the tunnel and
the two towers were connected by wire.
Every train was compelled to come to
a stop and get orders from the operator
before she could enter the tunnel.
Neither operator was allowed to let a
train enter the tunnel until he had called
11 p the other operator and got from him
assurance that the track was clear.
Jones worked at one end and Smith at
the other. Jones could not let a train
go into the tunnel until Smith said so.
and Smith could not let a train go in until
Jones said so. The only way a wreck
could occur was for each man to let
a train go in at the same time. Even
if both operators were to fall asleep
a* the same time the system would
work, for the train conductors going
into the towers for orders would awaken
the operators.
“One night there was a terrible wreck
in the tunnel. The trains had met bead
on. Several of the crews were badly
injured, and I think two died. There
was an investigation.
“The president of the road himself
went to the scene of the wreck. The
two operators were called before him.
It was impossible to learn anything
about the wreck. Each operator was
sure the other had reported the track
clear, and could give no explanation of
the cause of the wreck. Then the pres
ident said:
“ ‘Now, boys, I will tell you what I
will dc*. 1 feel sure you know how this
happened. If you will tell me I will
give you my word that neither of you
will be discharged. I thought I had a
svst"m here that was absolutely safe,
and it is of more importance to me to
learn how the wreck occurred than to
punish the one who was responsible.
II must find out how it happened so that
I can take care fcVit it does not occur
again. Tell me the truth, and I will
give you my word that you will noi
lose your jobs.
"Then the two boys confessed. Dur
ing the long nights they would become
sleepy. Sometimes one would fall
asleep. Then if a train came the other
could not get an answer from him.
One night Smith was sleeping soundly
and Jones could not get any answer,
lie did not like to hold the train, for fear
Smith would lose his job. So he let
the train go through. He knew it was
perfectly safe, for Smith could not let
a train in without calling him up.
When the train came cut of the tunnel
it wakened Smith, and Jones told him
what he had done. Then they arranged
u scheme so they could both sleep. They
always kept the red block down, so that
no train could enter the tunnel while
they slept. If one called and received
no answer he knew the other was asleep,
and, therefore, the track must be cleur,
and he let the train in.
"One night both were sleeping as
usual. A coal train came to Jones' end
of the tunnel. The whistle of the train
wakened Jones. He called to Smith and
received no answer. So he knew Smith
was sleeping and the tunnel was clear.
He asked the conductor to throw him
off a little coal for his fire, as he was
entirely out. The conductor threw off
tw o or three lumps and the train started
into the tunnel. Those few lumps of
coal cost the road thousands of dollars,
and 1 believe they cost two meu their
lives.
“Jones went outside to pick up the
coal as the train pulled out. Being out
side the tower, the noise of the truin
drow ned that of his instrument, and he
did not hear Smith’s call. A freight
train had come to Smith’s end of the
tunnel at the exact moment that Jones
v as picking up the coal. As Smith did
not get any answer he thought, of
course, Jones was asleep and the track
clear. So he let the freight in. Then
the two trains came together in the
tunnel.
“The president of the road kept his
word with the boys, but he took tliem
off that tunnel and gave them daylight
jobs, where they were not so likely ro
sleep, and could not do so much damage
if they did sleep. Those are but three
of the many stories like tliem that have
come under iny personal observation.”
—Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette.
Modern Maxim*.
Marriage is very often a mirage.
Most men prefer eating to reading.
Love is the one universal microbe.
Most women prefer a new dress to a
new friend.
The serum of possession is often a
cure for the disease of love.
Life is a skein of yarn that often
breaks while it is being unwound.
The reason so many men remain
single is that whisky is lj cents per
drill k.
Life is an egg that very often proves
bad when we daintily crack the shell.
There is nothing happier than an old
bachelor, save, perhaps, two old bache
lors.
The reason that so many women re
min single is that they generally have
confidential friends.
Many people are so in love with life
that they unwittingly hasten death by
their enjoyment of it.
It is almost impossible for a girl who
is in love to make good cake. She is
.-.lire to get it too sweet.—Florida Timea
Union.
A Canine Peculiarity.
Everyone has noticed the peculiar
habit of all dogs in turning round sev
eral times before lying down. This
idiosyncrasy is believed to be due to the
habits of the wild animal, which found
it necessary to turn round in weeds or
grass seieral tinns in order to break
them down for a bed.—Chicago Inter
Ocean.
A (iuurantrc of Safety.
“Steward,” said a passenger on an
ocean vessel, “the raUs on this ship are
an awful nuisance.”
“They are a guarantee of safety, my
dear sir.” replied the steward. “They
show the vessel is ull right, for rats
desert a sinh*>ig ship.”—Pittsburgh
Chronicle-Telegraph.
—There are chords in the human
heart—strange varying strings—w hich
are only struck by accident; w hich will
remain mute and senseless to appeals
the most passionate and earnest, and
respond at last to the slightest casual
touch.—Dickens.
—In 1877 St. John, N\ B., suffered from
a Are which destroyed $12,500,000 worth
of property.
—The voyage from Buenos Ayres to
Washington covers a distance of 5,013
miies.
—The people of Oregon are nick*
named “Hard Cases” and “Webfeet.”
A TIME FOR REFLECTION.
Th* McKinley Hoomer* Have Krachft a
Critical I’olnt.
Among the most sagacious of Ur.
Platt’s remarks about McKinley and his
canvass, is his suggestion that after the
noise of the preliminary booming is
over there will be an interval before tho
St. Louis convention long enough for
the delegates to cool oiT and do some
culm and serious thinking.
The republican conventions just held
will complete substantially the roll of
delegates; and unquestionably McKin
ley’s nomination will la* proclaimed by
his boomers us a foregone conclusion.
On the face of the returns of delegates
there is every reason to believe that it
will look that way. At any rute, his
nomination on the tirst ballot will be
made to appeur inevitable, in the hope
of silencing all opposition to him as
futile and a political blunder in those
who venture to make it. The plan from
the tirst has been to rush him through;
and so fur as concerns the state conven
tions it seems to have worked pretty
successfully. If the St. Louis conven
tion were to be heid this week or next
week it might go through to the end
not less satisfactorily. Put will the
booming continue to boom during all
the weeks still remaining before the
uctuul assembling of the body that is
to make the nomination?
That is another matter, as Mr. Platt
suggests. The delegates and the re
publican party will have time to do some
thinking about the wisdom of going
into the canvass with u candidate as
to whom the sober sense of the whole
union has the gravest doubts. The hys
terics of the booming will give place to
sune reflection.
The same may be said of the Chicago
convention, it is still far enough off to
enable the democratic party to get into
a reasonable fruine of mind before it is
called to order. The sliver crowd have
often before startled the party with
their boasting of the tremendous dem
onstrations they were about to make
in conventions and elections; but when
the time comes for the fulfillment what
has been the result? Instead of making
progress and winning victory, the sil
ver faction has gone steadily backward
and downward and has encountered
only defeat. Every day's delay before
the Chicago convention will increase
the probability that the silver demo
crats will there be overcome finally.
They are fighting for a humbug which
will not stand calm discussion.
It is the same with the McKinleyites
in the republican party. They are try
ing to put up a humbug to be run in a
campaign of duplicity and false pre
tense.—N. Y. Sun.
Silent it* the Sphinx.
No less than 22 direct questions touch
ing his tlnnncial and tariff views, sub
mitted to him by the Herald correspon
dent, Mr. McKinley gave but the one
stereotyped answer: “I have nothing
to say.” Nothing to say as to free coin
uge. Nothing to say us to the, tariff
Nothing to say us to schedules, as to
deficits, as to t).e gold and silver contest
threatening the very business life of the
government-—on all these |>oints, to all
these questions, McKinley has nothing
to say! Hut the people have something
to say, fortunately. They never yet
have elected a coward and u trimmer
to the chief executive office. They are
not likely to begin now. The man who
has "nothing to say” because he dure
rot say it, will wish he had had some
thing to say when he reads the election
returns.—Albany Argus.
-The clamor in the republican
party for McKinley is based on the
dangerous hypothesis that McKinley
means prosperity. The candidate whose
nomination seems inevitable to-day de
clines to state his position on the only
important problem before the country,
and this is not encouraging to repub
lican business men who know that it
is necessary for the national finances
to be directed by a man whose convic
tions are sound and who is sure not to
fail in courage when it becomes neces
sary to stand by them.—Indianapolis
News (Ind.).
-Mark Hanna can do Maj. McKin
ley a great deal of good by keeping
slightly more in the background.— Iowa
Bta.e Register (UepJ.
HIGH SALARIES IN ENGLAND.
The lord chancellor of Ireland get*
$30,000 u year.
The salaries of the queen's household
j amount to £131,260.
The lord high chancellor of Great
Britain gets $50,000 per annum.
The first lord of the British admiral
, ty receives a salary of $22,500.
The lord lieutenant of Ireland re
ceives a salary of $100,000 per year.
1 he duke of Edinburg has an annual
allowance of £25,000 per annum.
The chancellor of the exchequer la
Great Britain has a salary of $25,000,