The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-05-31
The Brakeman's Story.

eyes, SIR" said the brakeman, as he
stood by the stove warming his numbed
hands, after coming in from braking.
"People think, as they sit here in their
warm seats and only hear us call out the
different stations, that we have nice,
soft, easy time. But we know better.
Imagine yourself out on a fat Car all night
with the snow dashing into your face,
your hands on a cold iron brake, and
think if that's easy; or, up on top of a
freight Car, running along, the wind cut
ting like knife, dark as pitch, and
watching for fear you may rush suddenly
under bridge and be swept of, and per-
haps left to die in the snow. Is that
easy, does that look like soft jOb2 To
be sure, when we are transferred to pas
senger cars, the work is nice enough; but
the dangers we have to go through-for
generally we have to GO on freight cars
tirst-entitle us to something better on a
passenger car, and we amt sorry when
we get orders to take the head end of
such regular train.
There are very few brakemen who
can't tell some never-to- be- forgotten in
cident connected with their life on the
rail. To explain, let me tell you story
of my own experience. l remember one
night; it was fearfully cold, right in the
middle of winter, and showing hard. l
was brakeman in the middle of freight
train. 1t was running along on slow time
that night, and we were two or three
miles from the station. l was standing
by the brake on fiat car trying to get
warm by stamping, wishing that we were
at the depot, so that could go back to
the caboose out of the bitter cold, when
suddenly l felt the train jumping and
humping as if wheel had broken, and l
knew something was wrong. The whistle
blew for brakes, and ia mighty short
time we had the train stopped.
"With the rest of the men l went back
10 see what was the matter, thinking that
| might get a chance at the stove, for l
was nearly frozen. Going back about
three hundred feet we found that one of
the rails had got loose and was out of
place, but as we had been going slow we
had run over the spot safely. Our con-
ductor looked up, and seeing me, said:
"Jim, get back and signal the passen-
ger train. She will be along in short
time, now; and take this he said, hand
ing me red light lantern; well go on.
You can come along with the other train.
with that all hands got on board, and
soon there was nothing but myself and
the lantern left.
"a cold gust brought me to myself
with quick turn, and then l remem-
bered what / had to do. Holding the
lantern up, saw the light was Pickering,
and shaking it found it almost empty.
Then began to feel the responsibility of
my position. A lamp without oil in it,
the train due in ten minutes with the
chance of its being thrown off the track,
and no telling how many people killed or
wounded In case of this kind, sir,
every brakeman will do his best to save
human life, although he sometimes loses
his own in the attempt, and all he gets
for it is having his name in the paper for
being brave fellow.
"Quicker than tell it, l made up my
mind that the train must be signaled,
lamp or no lamp. But how to do it was
the question. Ii / ran ahead without q
light, the engineer might think l wanted
tn stop the train for robbery-for such
things have often been done, you know
and would not only dash right on faster
than ever, but maybe try to scald me -
the locomotive went by. I tell you l
felt like praying just then; bat brake
men are not selected for their religious
feelings, 20 dido pray much, bat looked
around and saw light shjoing IL win
dow sooe distance o.. Ilaid down ny
II - l.