Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 171, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1914 — FEAR THE SLEEPY OPERATOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FEAR THE SLEEPY OPERATOR

Train Dispatchers Realize the banger ©f Men at Lonely Stations Indulging In “Cat Napa” One of the annoyances of train dispatchers is sleepy operators. At lonely stations where only two or three trains pass in the night time, and there are no people aljout. it is a hard matter foF- the operators to 'keep awake —particularly so if they have been out hunting during the day, or have otherwise cut short their sleep. “ Often—they allow- themselves a short nap; relying on the call of their office on the. telegraph sounder awaking them, as would their name spoken in a buzz of conversation. One night an operator on the Northwestern Pacific awoke and heard a rumbling in the distance. It was a belated farmer’s wagon, but the operator reported No. 3 by, and was severely reprimanded by the dispatcher, who knew No. 3 was not due for 20 minutes.' • But the railroads have hit upon a scheme that compels operators to

stay awake. On most roads, an operator now must keep the red light stop signal-set-on- -his semaphore and change It to dsaF 'wftgnr the enginffr blows his whistle.

One of the Annoyances of Dispatchers Is Sleepy Operators.