The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1869-08-17
rsF co.YDfcrsH'-sreaI-.

al least
The Ola conductor smiled and knock
el tho ashes oiI bis cigar
Wen, said be. j believe almost ey
crybody has had Tia: feeling at onr
time W another. There is something
iae.natiug 10 sober business man il
the idea % doing business and earning
yonr living At 30miies an hour, and th,
spice q danger, that you may at any
moment be sent 70 kingdom come
by lightning express, is just
vague enough not TO frighten, but at.
tract But 70 conductor ii is a pro
sale business So it is TO engineers
aud brakemou. Don't you remember
that, al the inquest over tic Norwich
Bridge accidents Il was shown that
the engineer was in tie habit Of open
ing everything, and then reading a
newspaper? He was neglecting his
business, Of course but it shows what
habit viii 10 twill make reading
room of an express engine.
Railroad men learn the lesson OF
puuctuality very thoroughly. 1t won't
DO 70 be late, or the train won't start
on time and then ain awful row is Ger
TAIN One time ! was at Albany, and
that afternoon the Hudson River,
Boston aud Central trains all started at
8 o'clock Well the conductors Of the
trains and the engineers, too, went
down the river on little propeller
the Julia, | think she was called. We
turned round in plenty Of time, bat
about ten miles below Albany we ran
aground We were in nice scrape. -
There WASH on1uctor at the depot
to take any ones place, and the tide
was falling. Williams, splendid,
great fellow, got desperate, jumped in
to the water, put his shoulder under
tho stern, where the propeller had
caught on a mud bank, and as the boat
was about nine cat power only and he
perfect Hercules, he actually lifted her
Of, aud we got to Albany just in time
only Williams had to run to Syra-
cuse with his wet clothes on.
It's queer existence, too, running
day after day through a lot Of little
places that You don't take any interest
in, or know anything about, more than
the stations 1t isn't such dan
gerous life, either Accident insurance
companies don't rate passenger CON
ductors very high, but if ever you
want to feel helpless you are in the
i-- ,. e ha Almiuhtv inei oat -, -,
express engine, and get the engineer to
open everything on dark night
It's positively awful to see your head
light boring into darkness, aud to
think that between you and instant
death there's only the chance Of two
pieces Of iron you're travelling on be-
ing continuous and clear that if some
body had just pried up rail since the
last train went over, or anchored
something on the track, your friends
wont know your body when the coron-
er's jury calls them "a witnesses TO your
That's the way | thought
the first time | tried it, but the engin-
eer was smoking a pipe and the fire
man was whistling 'Jim-a-long Josey
When conductor runs train out
Of town aud runs another in again the
same day, it isn't such queer life as
when be runs train out one day and
IN the next. Then he lives two lives.
Oae night he's a married man at one
place the next night he's bachelor
at another place and the next night a
married man again land SO Oh, see
saw.
There's kind Of feeling Of respon-
sibilty, having three or four hundred
lives in your keeping. But then, there's
the rules, II you keep TO them, if any
thing happens It isn't your fault
" hen your are out Of time and have to
wait, you're sure TO be cross, and sure
to be badgered by questions. A for
eigner once told me that one Of the
most surprising things he'd seen in
America was the respect paid 70 con-
ductors and the way they we're obeyed
by passengers But passengers will
ask questions when you're waiting, aud
it's provoking One day | was out Of
time, aud ran of on a switch 10 wait
for either Che down train or a telegram
to come Oh. BY and BY, pompous
man comes 70 me as ] vas sitting on
the fence
Mr. Conductor. said be, what arc
We waiting torg
For tie down train we're out Of
time
There Is single track here. aud she
has the right of way
Bat suppose this down train is be
hind hand too 2
Then will get solegram.
But suppose they DO not telegraph
you. how long viii yon wait 4
TIL NJ uheas raa n said L
He went back 10 the coach, growing
g4fnyts8fny abnat having an suuAge-