pass there in ten minutes, I had little hopes of the operator being able to reach there in time to keep the work train in, unless No. 11 should be delayed, which was very unlikely, so that my only hope was in being able to get "Young Joel," at E, and have him stop the special there until the work train arrived, but as it was unusual for him to be on duty until after the time the special was due to pass there, it seemed as though there was nothing left but prepare for a terrible collision, so after calling E-like mad for several minutes, I gave it up, and began ordering out the wreck train so it would be in readiness to go to the wreck as soon as it had occurred. You can well imagine the state of my mind, for although I felt I was blameless, I knew that the railroad company would no doubt censure me for "completing" the working order to the work train without first notifying them of the special coming west, so I was almost insane for the next half hour. "Say, pap! Them railroad fellers sent out a message last nite sayin' thet Grover Cleveland en his Cabinet (whatever thet is) was a comin' over the road airly this mornin' in a special, right behind No. 11, an' when I axed thet train dispatcher ef they wus a goin' to stop hyer, he jest laffed at me, an' said they wasn't a stoppin' anywhere; and thet it was all the citizens of the big city up ter Kcould do ter git them ter stop there fer five minutes.' "He did, hey! Wall I've told them durn railroad fellers enough erbout runnin' specials thru hyer without stoppin' 'em, and agoin' back on their agreement, an' it's erbout time sech things were stopped, an' I'm agoin' ter take the law in my hans this time an' jest show 'em thet no durn dimmycrat President kin go scootin' thru this hyer town 'thout livin' up ter the 'greement thet the railroad company made when I guv 'em the right-of-way, so we'll jest quietly stop thet special, by gum, an' you jest throw that switch, an' I'll go down the track an' flag 'em, an' we'll make 'em go in on the sidin' and stay ther five minutes er my name's not 'Joel Purdy,' and I don't own this town! An' we'll show them fellers up to Kthet this town is jest es smart es they be, an' if thet train dispatcher tries to call you up before the special gets hyer, don't you pay no tention to him, fer he might wanter tell you ter keep the track clear, so's thet special could go through a whizzin', an' if he spected we wus a goin to stop her, he might order the trak men to keep us away, and spile our plan, so I'll jest go down the track after No. 11 gits by, an' flag the special, and you run 'em in on the sidin', and when they gits up hyer, if they axes any questions you purtind thet you are gittin' an order fer 'em till the five minutes air up, an' then they kin go to Tophet fer all I care, but they got to stop hyer five minutes. 'Joel Purdy' doesn't allow no railroad ter go back on its 'greement ef he knows it." "31" "E," "E," "E," I called until it seemed as though my arm would drop off, but no answer came, and I had to sit in my chair with the knowledge that the work train (if it followed its usual procedure and went east as soon as No. 11 had passed the pit) was now going east at 40 or 50 miles per hour, and it would only be a few minutes until it met the special coming west at the same or greater speed. I figured the time of both trains until I decided that they would probably meet at E-, or a short distance west of there, and I once more began to call E- frantically in hopes that something might prompt Joel to get around earlier than usual, and I would be able to get the special stopped at the last minute, but after calling awhile, the circuit was broken, and held open so long that I firmly believed the trains had come together and knocked over some telegraph poles, and broke the wires down, but after waiting what, to me, seemed an age, E- answered up in the drawling fashion that I knew so well to be Joel's. A glance at the clock told me that one or both trains ought to be there at that moment, and when I tried to telegraph an order to him to stop the special, he held the wire open so long, that I decided the wreck had already occurred, and that he had been called out to telegraph the news, and the strain under which I had been laboring for the last half hour was too great, and I gave way and lost consciousness. When I revived, quite a while afterwards, the trainmaster, who had taken my place at the key, told me that the first thing Joel had said was "It's lucky fer you fellers thet pap got riled an' stopped thet special, fer we had hardly got her in on the sidin' when the work train went a-whizzin' by SO fast that it made our hair stand to think what would hev happened ef the special had bin on the main track!" Old Joel no longer interferes with the running of passenger trains through E-. He says: "I stopped thet one right, but I might stop the next one wrong, so durn 'em, let 'em sail erlong, an' then ef things go wrong I won't be ter blame," but he never gets tired of telling how he made Grover Cleveland and his cabinet stop at E-- for five minutes against their will, "an' saved their lives, b'gosh!" The Gallantry of Hoolihan. For fifteen years Dan Hoolihan had run the "Cannon Ball," For Danny's engine failed him once right at the Edgemoor yard. For twenty minutes there he stayed, and sweated, fumed and raged- Three times the lady agent who thereat was employed Had plied him with sharp queries, which Danny much annoyed. (1.) No. 1 will pass No. 3 at Khartoum. (2.) No. 6 will pass No. 4 when overtaken. (3.) Extra 594 will run ahead of No. 6 Bengal to Madras. (4.) No. 1 will pass No. 3 at Khartoum and run ahead of No. 7 Madras to Bengal. When under (1) a train is to pass another, both trains will run according to rule to the designated point and there arrange for the rear train to pass promptly. Under (2) both trains will run according to rule until the second-named train is overtaken and then arrange for the rear train to pass promptly. Under (3) the second-named train must not exceed the speed of the firstnamed train between the points designated. Under (3) Extra 123 holds orders A to G ahead of No. 1, there being but one section on No. 1 when the order was given. Later it was found necessary to run three sections on No. 1. First No. 1 overtakes and gets orders to pass Extra 123 at C. Has Extra 123 a right to proceed ahead of second No. 1 without further orders? ANSWER-Yes; Extra 123 has a right to proceed ahead of the second section or any section of No. 1 unless the original order to run ahead of No. 1 is superseded or annulled. Rule 218 covers this; it reads: "When a train is named in a train order, all its sections are included unless particular sections are specified, and each section included must have copies addressed and delivered to it." The following question on form "B" was submitted to the American Railway Association at its October meeting, 1900: "The question has been asked me whether train order form B (3) gives the first-named train the right to run on the time of the second-named train, and if so, under what regulations?" The answer of the American Railway Association's Train Rules Committee "C. E. Eng. 1118 B: "Eng. 1118 will run extra B to Z. "O. R. C." B. S. ROBERTSON, Div. 414. ANSWER-Order No. 1 creates Extra 1118 between A and B only; upon arrival at B they cease to exist from a train order point of view. Note the terms of the order, "will run extra A to B." Upon arrival at B they are not an extra, having fulfilled the terms of the order so far as the "run extra" is concerned, and it is generally conceded that all orders held by an extra train die when the train ceases to exist as such in a train order sense. Rule 220 provides for the regular train in such cases, but the standard code is silent in regard to the extra; however, it is the general practice to consider all orders void that are held by a train which has reached its terminal, whether it be a terminal that is created by train order or time card. After arrival at B, order No. 2 created a new extra with B and Z as terminals by using form G. The note under form G reads: "A train receiving this order is not required to protect itself against opposing extras, unless directed by order to do so, but must keep clear of all regular trains, as required by rule." Extra 1118 with terminals at B and Z has not been required to protect against Extra 1130, and the conductor would be justified in proceeding; however, order No. 1 should have read: "Engine 1118 will run extra A to B and has right over Extra 1130 west A to B," and the conductor is entitled to an explanation from the dispatcher. EDITOR FORUM-Please explain an order that we have not been able to get clear through our minds, viz: No. 87 has right of track over No. 88. There are two sections No. 88, with regular meeting point at Corona. First, 88 was on time at last telegraph station and did not need any help to make her meeting point at Corona with 87; second, 88 comes along, say half an hour later and ask for help to make meeting point and gets an order to meet No. 87 at Corona, (regular meeting point). When she gets to San Gallinos, (blind siding) she finds first 88 there, broken down, and cannot make her meet with 87. If second 88 changes her orders with first 88, that makes them first 88. When 87 gets to Corona and time is up, she says No. 88 can't get here as time is up; second 88 can't get here, for if she was around first 88, that makes them first 88. Has 87 a right to proceed or should she stay at Corona and has first and second 88 a right to proceed on second 88's orders to meet 87 at Corona? R. L. DANIEL. Santa Rosa, N. M. cannot proceed, second 88 will pass them retaining his train orders and number, and proceed to Corona (or to the first telegraph office, if Corona is not the first telegraph office) as second 88, reporting to all the crew on No. 87, that they are second 88 and that first 88 is at Gallinos disabled. This would allow No. 87 to proceed, as first 88 holds no orders against them. If first 88 was not disabled, but had simply lost time and could not make the meet they would, after learning orders held by second 88, couple in ahead of second 88or proceed to the first telegraph office ahead of second 88, after making sure that second 88 has positive orders to Corona for No. 87. As to No. 87 they I cannot leave Corona until second 88 arrives or their order is annulled or superseded and 87's order cannot be annu!led or superseded until second 88's orders is either annulled or superseded. Our correspondent erred in supposing that second 88 would become first 88 without orders upon passing first 88. Rule 94 governs in such cases and it reads as follows: "Rule 94.-A train which overtakes a superior train or a train of the same class, so disabled that it cannot proceed will pass it, if practicable, and if necessary will assume the schedule and take the train orders of the disabled train, proceed to the next open telegraph office, and report to the dispatcher. The disabled train will assume the schedule and take the orders of the last train with which it has exchanged, and will, when able proceed to and report from the next open telegraph office." Note the wording, "and if necessary will assume the schedule and take the train orders of the disabled train." This rule was framed to get trains out of a blind siding and was not intended to delay or stop the free movement of a train. Hence in this case it was not "necessary" for second 88 to exchange orders, to proceed and if they do not exchange orders they must not exchange numbers, but will pass by authority of Rule 94. The French colonial experiments in the island of Martinique, the scene of the recent awful disaster, have not, according to the publication of the Treasury Bureau of Statistics, "Colonial Administration," been altogether satisfactory. While many of the French colonies have been successful and prosperous, those of the West Indies, by reason of their small area and distance from the mother country, have proved not only a burden financially, but somewhat unsatisfactory in the demands which their representatives have made and continue to make upon the mother country. France has tried the experiment, as did Spain, of giving to certain of her colonies representation in the legislative body of the home government and, according to a quotation made in the Bureau of Statistics publication from M. Leroy Beaulieu, that experiment has been unsatisfactory. The French colonies in America, as is well known, consist of Martinique and Guadeloupe, with their adjacent islands, forming a part of the chain of small islands which stretches in a semicircle southeastwardly from Porto Rico almost to the coast of South America. On the mainland of South America, near the southern terminus of this semicircle of islands just mentioned, is another colony of France, French Guiana, while further north, just off the southern coast of Newfoundland, is the remainder of French colonial America, the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Martinique has an area of 381 square miles and a population of about 190,000, of which number about 5,000 are laborers brought from India and over 5,000 laborers from Africa; also about 500 Chinese immigrants. The remainder of the population is largely native negroes, the white population numbering in all about 10,000. A large share of the interior of the island has never been brought under cultivation, although it has been occupied by the French almost constantly since 1636, a period of 267 years, the only interruption in French control being the period from 1794 to 1802, when the island was held by the British. Slavery existed until 1848, when it was abolished in this as well as in other French colonies. Notwithstanding the fact that a large part of its interior has never been brought under cultivation, the island is described by Reclus as one of the most densely populated spots on the globe; on the arable lands people are packed as closely as in such industrial centers as Lancashire, Flanders or Saxony." The government of Martinique consists of a local legislative body composed of natives, which has the power to pass laws applicable to the exercise of political rights, the regulation of contracts, matters relating to wills, legacies and successions, the institution of juries, criminal procedure, recruiting for naval and military forces, and the methods of electing local officers in the cities and towns. The governor and other officers are appointed by the French government, which also makes the tariff laws of the island, as is the case with reference to its other colonies. This and the other American colonies of France have, as already indicated, a much larger share of self-government than any other of her colonies, and are each represented by a senator and two deputies in the French legislative body corresponding to the Congress of the United States. These large powers of self-government and of participation in national legislation are the subject of open criticism by French economic writers. Leroy Beaulieu, perhaps the most distinguished of French writers of the present day upon economic subjects, in his Colonisation chez les Peuples Moderns," says: "As regards politics, we have introduced French liberty into our colonies; we give them civil governors, admit their representatives into our Parliament, and while all these reforms are excellent in themselves, it is unfortunately to be feared that they will in practice result in abuses, and that unless the mother country is very watchful those very powers which she has granted to her colonies will become |