Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-04-07
THE MAN At THE THROTTLE.
a Confidential Talk with n Locomotive
Englneer-NO Law Against IncOmpe.
tent or Drunken Engine Drivers.

Iy your life was in the hands of one man?
Has it ever occurred to you as you re-
clined in a soft.cushioned seat in appa-
rent security, with hundreds Of others on
the train, how every one of you might
be sent to an instant death by the slight
est bIunder or neglect on the part of one
weak human being? And did you ever
find yourself wondering if the man at
the throttle understood his duties and
was able to do them promptly and prop
crly, appreCiating the cnormOusrespOnsi
bilities resting upon fallible human ma
ture, and knowing what awful COnse-
quenCes might result from a single mis-
take on his part?
Your correspondent confessed that
since the recent railroad engineers
strikes these dangers have 0c-
Cured to him, and the readers Of the
Herald would understand the reason
could they have heard the other day a
brief conversation in the cab of locomo-
tive, which an unusually intelligent and
trustworthy member of the guild of en-
gincers recounted little of the true in
wardness of his callinp
,.,rnr ,,>,an ,,c,, -, mn,
"'''''''' ''>'"N AVE- = '''i''7'
" 1t is as well, ," said he, smiling
thoughtfully, "that the travelling public
don't know how the majority of railroads
are managed and what risks the passen-
gers often run. Why, to save a little
money they often fail to employ more
than One-half the number of engineers
absolutely needed for safety. Many a
time have | come in from a long trip so
tired and sleepy as to be scarcely able to
stand, and been ordered immediately
out again without an hours rest. have
been worked twenty-tour hours at a
stretch when ! have been 30 worn out
that no power on earth could keep me
awake, and, standing with my hand on
the lever, have gone sound asleep. II
you had fired off cannon at my ears |
could not have helped it. have many
a time brought my engine into some
town at thirty miles au hour while
'.n'eTp' uI..i, v"o nielii"" vi ''n'oo0O'
Dangerous? Well, rather SO; for il
there is any post in the world where a
man should be excessively wide awake
vjcilant, incessantly watching ahead OF
him with an unfaltering steadiness and
with good ewes, too, with his hand al
WAYS on the lever, prepared to check tht
hyinr speed with which ne is fiyinp
| aiong,it he is in the cab of loco
motiveengine don't know any work that
REQUIRES a man TO know what he is about
and to see what he is about so much a,
running the engine Of an express train
The engineer not only must watch hi
engine and keen her M to her WORK, bu
he must watch the steam gauge, watcl
The time. watch the signals. watch th,
track, watch the crossings and watch hi
surroundings. To sum up in one word
an engineer must be alertness personifed
Dangerous? You might as we'll ask
~ 49, y. l,oa 90 90 - % nth
,J Is.I SinS w. n5 oi pJ| 20 i
- - WV ''0 " "''''0'' " '''e '''' W -
BULL-DozlNG THE ENGINEERS.
uttis . corr,or tb;rc foro oncinee,
oeor hov;rc, con,o in from a iong f1in f.
i",', Lo orJornd7 ont a@a;n inmedistoiy al
tLonab no lnowsanJ tho rnmnanv tnow
thot La i NOT IN for further work with
nnt @ a rest and that to fall asIeen at hi
. most is 70 pndanger the lives Of hur
9poJ. P Of norsono % Net hn dare not refns
~ ~ ba viii lose his nlace Sunnose vndc
sncb circumstances an accident occur,
% Isn't tho cnmnanv relieved from ali rt
snonsihilitv in Tho ewes of the nevsnane
onJ tho n,;bI;c if thew show that the er
: ";naor f,iIod IN 500 signal9 Who is I
i,nnn, i tLot Tho reason that IN. engin,
Griyer H faiIed 10 see the SIGNAL or th
sw;tcb was hocar,e he foll osleen fro,
o"ormo,I. o"arCn and tbot bo vas conneIIed :
- rnn v,biIo ,,Lvsirallv unabIo n do co
a soco+y9
'"'' y
7 y SIAN'i'N" slA E"hN l.
This is the cause of good man
5 railroad accidents, but | can tell YOU
4 still more frequent oGe. 1t is the en-
J ploymcnt by certain railroad manage
!. of balf-taught betChes as engineers,
? men who are nat of sober habits and ca
not get into the brotherhood of eng
:. neers tour trade society,", and who wi
0 therefore work very cheaply."
"Whv is this permitted?"
81 will tell YOU. In every state
II the union, so far as | know. there is
law compelling the engineers who after
to stationary boilers to pass an examin
e ton, at which they must show then
3 selves qualified, and receive license b
e fore they are permitted TO work. Yc
e would be liable to severe punishment
is Won EMPLOYED an unlicensed engineer
run the boiler of your printing offic
h This law is, of course, an eminent
+ nroper one, and in New York CITY. f
n instance, there is a bureau of police d
h partment whose exclusive duties are
It ice It's enforcement, A similar Unite
,. States statut, compels the engineers
e marine or steamboat engines TO pass
o sill stric,er examination. But no sue
d law is on the statute books of anv sta
1t in the union as regards locomotive ems
neers, whose duties are even more de
N cato and dangerous than their brethrC
v who run factory or other stationary e
g zines. Whenever any bill recurring Il
n TTailroad companies te employ only col
n natent men has been likely 10 pass n le