Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1881 — THE RAILROAD BELL ROPE. [ARTICLE]

THE RAILROAD BELL ROPE.

Hov the Device Came toMidojlfM New York Times. ” 3 ' > 1 In tfteeirlyllay? of raartid! Inf this country the locomotive engineer was the master of the train. He ran it aooorihng to fcfeo’+n lodgment, and the conductor had very little , voice in the Matter. Collecting the fares, superintending the loading and unloading of frelghfc wnd shooting “all aboard!” Were an that the coo croc tor was ex*

pooled to do. Toe Erie railway 'was [Sen the New YorkA EWe railroad. There waa no ran connection With Jersey City In Boats carried passengers from New York to-Piermontr on-the-Hudeon, which was the easferfi terminus of the road. Tomer’s, forty* seven miles from New York, was as far west as the railroad was in operation. One of the pioneer conductors of the line waS the late Captain Ayres. He ran the only train then sailed for between tiuh&wo terminal points. It WM made up of freight and passenger cars. The late of the engineer, without any knowledge of what was going on back of the HsbomoHve, having his way as tp how the train was to be run, did not strike the captain as being exactly according to the propriety of things. He frequently enoountered a fractious passenger Who insisted on riding without paying his fare. As there was no way or signaling the engineer, and the passenger could not be thrown from the train while it was in motion, the conductor in such cases Bad no choice hut to let him ride until a regular stop was made. Captain Ayers finally determined to institute a new system in the tunning of trains. He procured a stout cord, sufficiently long to reach from the locomotive to the rear. car. To the end of this

string next to the engine he fastened a stick of wood. He ran this cord back over the cars to the last one. He informed the engineer, who was a German, named Abe Ham mil, that if he desired to have the trains stopped he would pull the string and ipise the stick, and wou.d expectt he signal to be obeyed. Hammil looked upon this innovation as a direct blow at his authority, and when the train left Piermont he out the stick loose. At Turner’s he told Captain Ayres that he proposed to run the train himself, without any interference frpm any conductor. The next day toe captain rigged up his string and suck of wood again. “Abe,” said he, “this thing’s got to he settled one way or the other. If that stick of wood is not on the end of this cord when we get to Turner’s you’v got to lick me, or I’ll lick you.” Th stick was not on the string when 'they reached Turner’s. The captain pulled off his coat, and told Hammil to get off his engine. Hammil declined to get off. Captain Ayres climbed to the engineer’s place* Hammil started to jump off on Ihe other side. The conductor hit him under the ear and saved him the trouble of jumping. That settled forever the question ttf authority on railroad trains. Hammil abdicated as autocrat of the piopper Erie train, and the twine and stick of wood, manipulated by the conductor, controlled its management. That was the origin of the bell rope, now one of the most important attachments of railroad trains. The idea was quickly adopted by the few roads then in operation, and the bell or gong took the place of the stick of wood to signal the engineer. Capt. Ayres continued a on this road under its different managers until he was superanuated and retired on a pension a year ago. He died a few mouths ago in Oswego, at the age of 78 years.