There
has been comment in the past about the sins of Management, so I thought I
should share this tale from 1883. Thomas Potter had a distinguished career in
the Burlington, starting off as a surveyor’s assistance and working up to
become general manager and, in the year after this incident, first
vice-president of the company. At the time, Henry Stone was general
superintendent while J B Maxon was the division superintendent.
According
to the Ottumwa, la., Democrat the
three of them “helped” to clear a blockage In the Ottumwa yard:
“The switchmen
were told to stand aside and watch what could be done. Tom Potter took
"check" of a train, Maxon was to tend the switch, Stone was to cut
'em off, while one of the boys was detailed to do the "coupling." The
switch engine was coupled on, and the trouble commenced. Potter had forgotten
the signals, and instead of giving the engineer a signal to back up, he by
mistake, gave a " go ahead" signal. Now, if there is anything on
earth a switch engineer has a healthy respect for is a "sign,"
especially if happens to be wrong. Seeing what was apparently wanted he put the
engine in "forward motion," and commenced " pounding her,"
as the boys say. This was rather totally unexpected, and before they could stop
the engineer, he came very near running the whole train into the coal house.
But the calamity was prevented by one of the boys who, seeing what was going
on, stepped out and gave the contrary signal, and stopped the engineer in his
wild course.
Potter said there had been a "clerical error" somewhere, and going up
to the engine told the man to "back up." This was done, but they
supposed the fellow would stop when the tall end of the train crossed the
switch, but it is customary to give a sign to slop, and not seeing anything of
this kind, the engineer would have gone to Agency had not one of the switchmen
who had got on the engine, hit him with a club laying conveniently on the tank.
This break rather rattled the three distinguished switchmen, and after trying
to make a fly, and running two cars upon the turn table, they gave the job over
to Frank Jennings.”
Four years after this switching display
by senior management, Potter was appointed general manager and vice-president
of the Union Pacific, while Stone moved up to become general manager. Which
must prove something!
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ