Atlantic Monthly | Page 9

by the following rule: 'The conductor of a
slow train will report himself to the Superintendent of Division
immediately on arrival at a station where, by the time-table, he should
be overtaken by a faster train; and he shall not leave that station until
the fast train passes, without special orders from the Superintendent of
Division.' A slow train, under such circumstances, may, at the
discretion of the Division Superintendent, be directed to proceed; he,
being fully apprised of the position of the delayed train, can readily
form an opinion as to the propriety of doing so; and thus, while the
delayed train is permitted to run without regard to the slow one, the
latter can be kept entirely out of its way.
"The passing-place for trains is fixed and determined, with orders
positive and defined that neither shall proceed beyond that point until

after the arrival of the other; whereas, in the absence of the telegraph,
conductors are governed by general rules, and their individual
understanding of the same,--which rules are generally to the effect, that,
in case of detention, the train arriving first at the regular passing-place
shall, after waiting a few moments, proceed cautiously (expecting to
meet the other train, which is generally running as much faster, to make
up lost time, as the cautious train is slower) until they have met and
passed; the one failing to reach the half-way point between stations
being required to back,--a dangerous expedient always,--an example of
which operation was furnished at the disaster on the Camden and
Amboy Railroad near Burlington; the delayed train further being
subjected to the same rule in regard to all other trains of the same class
it may meet, thus pursuing its hazardous and uncertain progress during
the entire trip."
The following table shows the rate and direction of subordination for a
first-class railroad:--
General Superintendent.
Superintendent Roadmaster. Section men. of road. Roadmaster. Section
men. Roadmaster. Section men.
Foreman of machine-shop. Machinists. Foreman of blacksmith's shop
Blacksmiths. Superintendent Foreman of carpenter's shop. Carpenters.
of Machinery. Foreman of paint-shop Painters. Engineers (not on
trains). Firemen. Car-masters. Oilers and cleaners. Brakemen.
Conductors. Engineers (on trains). Ticket-collectors. General
passenger-agent. Mail agents. Station agents. Hackmen. Switchmen.
Express agents. Police. Conductors. Brakemen. Engineers (on trains).
General freight-agent. Station agents. Weighers and gaugers. Yard
masters.
Supply agent. Clerks and teamsters furnishing supplies. Fuel agent. All
men employed about wood-sheds.

All subordinates should be accountable to and directed by their
immediate superiors only. Each officer must have authority, with the
approval of the general superintendent, to appoint all employees for
whose acts he is responsible, and to dismiss any one, when, in his
judgment, the interests of the company demand it.
Fast travelling is one of the most dangerous as well as one of the most
expensive luxuries connected with the railroad system. Few companies
in America have any idea what their express-trains cost them. Indeed,
the proper means of obtaining quick transport are not at all understood.
It is not by forcing the train at an excessively high speed, but by
reducing the number of stops. A train running four hundred miles, and
stopping once in fifty minutes,--each stop, including coming to rest and
starting, being five minutes,--to pass over the whole distance in eight
hours, must run fifty-five miles per hour; stopping once in twenty
minutes, sixty-three miles per hour; and stopping once in ten minutes,
eighty-six miles per hour.
The proportions in which the working expenses are distributed under
the several heads are nearly as follows:--
Management 7 Road-repairs 16 Locomotives 35 Cars 38 Sundries 4
____ In all 100
And the percentage of increase due to fast travelling, to be applied to
the several items of expense, with the resulting increase in total
expense, this:--
Management 7 increased by 0 per cent. is 0.0 Road-repairs 16 do. 27 do.
4.3 Locomotives 35 do. 30 do. 10.5 Cars 38 do. 10 do. 3.8 Sundries 4
do. 0 do. 0.0 ____ ____ 100 And the whole increase 18.6
The causes of accident beyond the control of passengers are,--
Collision by opposition, Collision by overtaking, Derailment by
switches misplaced, Derailment by obstacles on the track, Breakage of
machinery, Failure of bridges, Fire, Explosion.

Those causes which are aggravated by fast travelling are the first,
second, fifth, and sixth. The effects of all are worse at high than at low
velocities.
The proportion of accidents due to each of these causes, taken at
random from one hundred cases on English roads, (American reports
do not detail such information with accuracy,) were,--
Collision 56 56 Breakage of machinery 18 18 Failure of road 14 14
Misplaced switches 5 Obstacles on rails 6 Boiler explosions 1 __ ___
88 100
Eighty-eight per cent. being from those causes which are aggravated by
increase of speed; and if we