Louis
I should have mentioned that Thomas Potter was first Vice President and General Manager until 1887 when he transferred to the Union Pacific with the same titles.
Henry Stone was
Second Vice-President until 1890 when he became President of the Chicago telephone Company (part of Bell Telephones). J B Maxon moved to the Macon, Dublin & Savannah as General Superintendent.
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
On Behalf Of Louis Zadnichek via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, 14 December 2022 4:48 am
To: CBQ@groups.io
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Hand signals
Rupert - HILARIOUS! This could've been the basis for a skit by the Three Stooges..... Thanks for posting. Merry Christmas - Louis
In a message dated 12/13/2022 12:43:25 AM Central Standard Time,
gamlenz@hotmail.com writes:
From the Railway Age February 1883
The Ottumwa, Iowa Democrat thus relates how General
Manager Potter, General Superintendent Stone and Division
Superintendent Maxon,
all of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
road
cleared a blockade 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 lo do the "coupling." The
switch engine
coupled on, and the trouble commenced.
Putter
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 it is a “sign”, especially if it
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 tail end of the train crossed the
switch, but it is customary to give a sign to stop, 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.
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
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