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Story
February 21, 1892
The Anaconda Standard
Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana
What is this article about?
A stranger cleverly advises a streetcar official in Chicago that a system's reputation depends on managing crises effectively, not routine operations.
Clipping
OCR Quality
100%
Excellent
Full Text
A Pointer For the Management.
He walked into the office of one of the officials of the road and said, inquiringly: "Another break-down?"
"A trifling one," replied the official.
"Cable parted?"
"No: grip broken."
"Delays travel, of course?"
"A little. Not over half or three-quarters of an hour, though."
"Something breaks pretty often, doesn't it?"
"O, no. Everything runs like clock-work most of the time. It's only on exceptional occasions that we have serious delays."
"When the weather is bad?"
"The weather has a great deal to do with it of course."
"Snow gets piled up on the track?"
"Yes: it gets the best of us sometimes."
"Cable contracts on account of the cold?"
"Quite frequently."
The stranger thought the matter over for a moment while the official looked at him curiously.
"There are days," said the stranger at last, "when I think I could run a street car system myself."
"Yes?" said the official.
"No trouble at all. No big crowds. weather fine, machinery in good order—why, the road would almost run itself. But it occurs to me—"
"Well, what occurs to you?"
"Why, it occurs to me that the reputation of a road is made by the way it runs on those exceptional occasions when there are difficulties to be overcome; that the reputation of its management hinges on its foresight and its ability to rise to an emergency. I wouldn't claim any credit for running a nation without serious trouble some days. Just a pointer, you know. Good day."
He backed out, feeling that he had in some slight measure squared accounts with the road.
Chicago Tribune.
He walked into the office of one of the officials of the road and said, inquiringly: "Another break-down?"
"A trifling one," replied the official.
"Cable parted?"
"No: grip broken."
"Delays travel, of course?"
"A little. Not over half or three-quarters of an hour, though."
"Something breaks pretty often, doesn't it?"
"O, no. Everything runs like clock-work most of the time. It's only on exceptional occasions that we have serious delays."
"When the weather is bad?"
"The weather has a great deal to do with it of course."
"Snow gets piled up on the track?"
"Yes: it gets the best of us sometimes."
"Cable contracts on account of the cold?"
"Quite frequently."
The stranger thought the matter over for a moment while the official looked at him curiously.
"There are days," said the stranger at last, "when I think I could run a street car system myself."
"Yes?" said the official.
"No trouble at all. No big crowds. weather fine, machinery in good order—why, the road would almost run itself. But it occurs to me—"
"Well, what occurs to you?"
"Why, it occurs to me that the reputation of a road is made by the way it runs on those exceptional occasions when there are difficulties to be overcome; that the reputation of its management hinges on its foresight and its ability to rise to an emergency. I wouldn't claim any credit for running a nation without serious trouble some days. Just a pointer, you know. Good day."
He backed out, feeling that he had in some slight measure squared accounts with the road.
Chicago Tribune.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
Streetcar Breakdown
Management Advice
Reputation Building
Emergency Handling
What entities or persons were involved?
Stranger
Official
Where did it happen?
Office Of One Of The Officials Of The Road
Story Details
Key Persons
Stranger
Official
Location
Office Of One Of The Officials Of The Road
Story Details
A stranger inquires about frequent breakdowns in the streetcar system and advises the official that a road's reputation is made by handling exceptional difficulties well.