Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-09-12
Locomotive Engineers.

1t may be doubted II any class OF mechan-
les are so inadequately appreciated as loco.
motive engineers. Few Others have respon-
sibilities equal to theirs, and none have more
arduous and dangerous duties. The terms
of their qualifications for the positions they
hold are rigiClly exacting. Generally they
must serve novitiate in the locomotive
building or repair shop, and then year
perhaps more-in the position of fireman or
greaser, before machine is entrusted to
their care. They are expected to have gained
a sufficient practical knowledge of the loco .
motive engine, not only to run it and keep
it in order, but to make at least temporary
repairs in an emergency
1t might be supposed, under these circum-
stances, that their work would be apprecia-
ted by the public generally, or at least by
their employers yet it is seldom we hear of
any recognition of their services, and presen-
tations of merit by railroad companies to
engineers are so few that it is difficult to re-
call an instance Yet recorded instances of
rare heroism on the part of locomotive engi-
neers show that they are a noble class of
men, ana many cases of heroic self-sacrifce
have occurred which have never been
publicly noticed. Instances of engineers
sticking to the foot board and throttle, even
in the plain and immediate view of almost
certain death are not unknown, choosing
rather to achieve apes humous reputation
for courage than to retain a life saved at the
expense of honor.
The employment of the locomotive engi-
neer is one of continually recurring peri!s.
He stands as Uriah in the front of battle"
if there is danger ahead, he is the first to
see it and must be the first to meet it. If
death comes to any it must probably come
A,,I tI,, Ia l. hon
warning as to what danger may be before
him, and without signal or guide to avert
it. In the darkest nights, when the fog may
be 'cut with knife" he must drive his
IMPLYING steed, over trestle work, bridge,
and culvert, either of which may have been
undermined By torrents or storms, or burned
by sparks from the locomotive of prece-
ding train, even if the evil passions of men
have not combined to provide the means of
catastrophe. Miles away from the habi
tations of men he may have no assurance
that kindly hearts will prompt to timely
warning. lie cannot rest, cannot relax for
n moment the vigilance which is the price
of safety for himself as well as the hundreds
of human lives behind him. Overlooking
his fireman, noting the height of the water
in the boiler and the pressure of steam,
keeping his eyes directed ahead and his
hand on the throttle valve or reversing lever,
he must be continually wide awake and
watchful while on the road. Such labor is
exhausting it affects the mental as well as
the physical powers.
The Jars and iolts of the locomotive are
belived to tend greatly to the impairment
of the engineers health. The violence and
extent of these shocks can onlybe understood
by those who have ridden the iron horse.
Tue passengers in the upholstered cars con.
ceve but faint idea of the movements OF
the locomotive from the easy swinging OF
the cars. At times the whole machine, with
its tons of moving weight, appears to leap
from the track it jerks from side to side OF
the road, as if sentient organism in spasms,
and shakes the engineer ana fireman in every
fibre of their bodies. With all this, the
engineer must not allow his attention to be
diverted from his duty. He gets to learn
the present condition of his engine, even by
the noise it makes as it echoes through cuts
or tunnels. or spins hummingly along the
open track. If a single thing is wrong, his
educated ear detects in the darkest night,
what his obscured sight fails to discover.
The perpetual strain upon the mind, the
sense OF never mitigated responsibility, and
the continual facing of possible death or dis
aster, more or less affects the mental chsrac-
ter of the locomotive engineer. He partakes
of the character of the machine, of which
he becomes insensibly part, and is some
times rough, perhaps, in manner, always
ready and blunt in his communications with
Others. But from his position and the de-
mands of his office, he seldom speaks, never
converses, when on the engine. Thus, he
becomes in time, taciturn in manner, al
though not in reality. This brusqueness and
reticence, if not part of his duty, becomes
a part OF his character, and even If time
permits, he seldom allows himself to unbend
in social life. With such responsibilities as
he bears, evity soon becomes gravity, and
light heartedness becomes seriousness.
1t is not too much to say that the locomo-
tive engineer, rather than the conductor, 10
the real manager of the train The latter