George Collins

“ He was an artist on either the violin or piano, and many of the music lovers of Unionville called at the Barr homestead frequently to hear him play. Among them was Mercedes Morris. It was not her beauty alone that won her so many friends, but her personality was so charming, her intellect so much above that of the average pretty girl, that men whose admiration went beyond merely physical attraction, found an unusual pleasure in her companionship. She was a busy girl, being employed by a commercial telegraph company as telegrapher. ”

“ Of course being employed as telegraph operator on the road where he is working will be very nice indeed!"
"Now, you know that I will seldom see him except here at home as usual; for when a train does stop at a telegraph office it is only for a few minutes, and then no person but the conductor and engineer go inside to sign orders."
"And you will be working at night, too, will you not?"
"Yes, for a while; all telegraphers have to take their turn at night work. ”

“ This fearful affliction and the untold sufferings he has endured would have wrecked the life and ambitions of any other man, but it is not so with George Collins. Instead of becoming disheartened and dependent upon others, he has made himself a very well-educated man, a beautiful penman, a telegraph operator, a typesetter, a job printer, a newspaper correspondent, and the editor, publisher and proprietor of the Roscoe Ledger. ”

“ It was never discovered what shattered the glass in the signal, but the general supposition is that the weight of the heavy semaphore arm, being thrown from a horizontal to a semi-vertical position, caused this small round piece of red glass to break and fall to the ground, exposing the white light through the opening. The denseness of the fog prevented the engineer or fireman from seeing the position of the wooden arm; in fact, train crews seldom look for anything but the color of the light at night. ”

“ But the railroad company pays almost double what I am receiving now from the Postal Company, and I think this difference in salary makes up for all the disadvantages of the new position."
"Well, I am sorry to see you go—I do not like the responsibilities which you will have upon you. Several of our roomers have told me about the dangers of railroading on single track, and how much their lives and the lives of passengers depend on the telegrapher. ”

“ THIS little volume, "A Strange Railroad Wreck," is the product of a former railroad telegraph operator, who is so badly afflicted with a rheumatic trouble that he has not touched his face with either hand for more than nineteen years, and has been compelled to use two crutches during all that time in order to get about. ”

“ This fact places you far ahead of many men who now work for us, for your own safety and also in the line of promotion. Stick to that principle, no difference how you may be ridiculed for it, and you will come out all right."
Joe Fleming, though frail and apparently unfit for the rough and dangerous work of brakeing on a freight train, soon convinced the conductor and others of his crew that his brain was far superior to that of many new brakemen. ”

“ Music is my chosen profession, but it does me little good where I am unknown. I trust you will give me a trial at this work." His look was pathetic, his attitude pleading.
"Oh, I was talking entirely for your own good. We need brakemen, and I shall be glad to have the yardmaster put you to work at once, if you are determined to go at it. But you are pretty frail looking for this kind of a job. Are you always so pale as you are now? ”

“ Well, I have known him for more than a month now, and I think he is the best boy I ever knew; he seems to be disgusted with the conduct of the average man, and the way he treats us girls borders on reverence. ”

“ She will not know that the yardmaster changed me to Forty-nine till I get back to Unionville." He kept his eyes fixed on the window as long as it could be seen, then turned slowly away and walked into the caboose.
The train lay at the north end of the passing siding but one minute, waiting for the hands on the engineer's watch to point to 3:04, when it steamed quietly away, gaining speed rapidly as the train reached the town limits.
Mercedes was awakened by hearing her office call, "LC," being repeated rapidly; the train dispatcher at Pittsburg was calling her. ”

“ By reversing the engine and using sand freely, the engineer managed to stop the train within a few feet of the prostrate girl. Three surgeons were on the train, ready to take charge of the wreck victims, and carrying the unconscious operator into her office, they gave her every attention, but were unable to restore consciousness. ”

“ Gibney, if you will remain here with this patient, we will hurry on to the wreck," said one of the physicians.
"We cannot leave here until the telegraph operator changes the signal," said the wreck-train conductor. "No other person has authority to touch the levers." ”

“ In a little telegraph office in Pittsburg works a young man who is an object of great interest to surgeons. The young man is George Collins, Jr., who seventeen years ago was attacked with inflammatory rheumatism, resulting in the solidification of the joints of the knees, the right ankle, both elbows, both wrists, both thumbs, and four of his fingers. ”

“ One little error in receiving a train order, the failure to deliver one after it is received—which is possible when you have a number on your desk at one time—or going to sleep even for five minutes during the night, might cause the death of many people. Still, I know when you decide to do a thing it is useless to try to persuade you to give it up, and I can only hope for the best."
*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*
Lewistown is the name of a station on the M————— Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, about forty-five miles from Pittsburg. ”

“ It was at a time when brakemen were very scarce and work on the Division at its best, requiring all the extra crews possible to keep the yards clear. At such times many vacancies are filled by men who might have found it difficult to secure employment when business was not so brisk. ”

“ Train No. 49 on the schedule was a mixed freight, leaving Unionville at midnight and being due at Lewistown passing siding at 3:04 A. M. As all railroad men know, scheduled freights on a single track system are not on time once in six months. They invariably run on special orders, owing to work and other delays along the road keeping them far behind their scheduled time. On the night in question, however, No. ”