198 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



only thirty-five cars in his train, sat up there looking out over the 

 country and let his engine drift down and run over the switch and 

 oft' the track, not noticing the signal, although the flag was out 

 there; and it took an hour and a half to put that engine back. 

 Then when they got on down, another engine that had been delayed 

 by that ran out of water and died before he got to Silvis. 



I am very glad you think that we have a good agent, but I am 

 afraid I will have to disagree with you just a little. When the 

 agent tells you that the train dispatcher cuts him off, and he can't 

 do this, that and the otlier, that is all tommy-rot. I have been all. 

 through the railroad gang. I started in on section, and from there 

 went into a station as station helper, and learned telegraphing. 1 

 have been an agent and a train dispatcher; I dispatched trains for 

 some eight or ten years. When I Avas an agent, I never let a train 

 dispatcher cut me off; he couldn't get rid of me. If I wanted to 

 know anything in taking care of the business of m^y station, I made 

 him give me the information. He couldn't get rid of me by giving 

 me a sharp answer or cutting me off; he had to tell me something 

 before I would ever let loose of him. There is a way on the rail- 

 road, just the same as there is in your business, to get information 

 and results. The agent can, if he is the right sort of a fellow, take 

 care of seventy-five per cent of the troubles at his station. He can 

 find out and know almost without cpiestion what his car supply is 

 going to be the following day. The trouble with the majority of 

 employes, not only in railroading but otherwise, is that they are 

 machines; they want somebody else to do their thinking for them. 

 If I can get a man to thinking and acting, even though he makes 

 mistakes, I am pleased. 



Mr. Eisele: Isn't it a fact that the agent doesn't know whether 

 he is going to be furnished cars? 



Mr. Whitenton : He can find out. In the first place, the man 

 who dispatches trains doesn't have anything to do with the cars; 

 there is a man especially assigned to that work. He knows twenty- 

 four or forty-eight hours in advance alwaj^s what he can do on the 

 car supply, or has a very good idea. Once in a while he gets up 

 against it; some fellow stubbed his toe and doesn't get the cars out 

 just as he should; but he knows approximately the time, and 

 whether he can furnish cars that have been ordered or not. 



W. T. Hamilton, Wellman : I would like to know why this con- 

 dition exists at Rock Island in regard to taking care of the ship- 



