The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-07-20

hap every other day and one death 4
month. During rainy weather, especi.
ally, \ brakeman becomes no benumbed
that he is very liable to tumble of. In
two instances, II is said, brakemen after
loss Of rest and under the depression Of
reduced wages, &c., have purposely
thrown themselves under the wheels.
Nearly all the men talked with said at one
time aud another when melancholy, they
had meditated about stepping over the
bumpers and mesling instant death. As
for tremen, their case is no better. They
have to go out on the engine ut all times
while II is in motion and oil II up. A
misstep OF an inch Of leaning backwArd
is death. With the thermometer up in
the nineties they continually face a fur.
mace hot enough to melt glass.
STARVATION. WAGES.
During the past two years the wages Of
the tiremen, always the least paid OF the
running employees, have been reduced one
hundred per cent. Formerly they we're
paid day and halls wages for Sunday;
now 1t Ia the same as any other day.
Formerly they made sos month each
on an average; now they DO not average
$50 month. Formerly, when from any
accident or any similar cause they were
held on the road, they were paid At re.
duced rate for their time; now, II il takes
forty hours to make a half trip they only
get one days pay. Formerly, when they
could not get a train to work on back
they were given passes to return with;
now they are not given passes, and have
often TO wait several days at Martins,
burg, spending more for board than they
earn in whole trip. A days work is 10
run from Baltimore to Martinsburg or
from Martinsburg to Baltimore. The dis.
tance Is hundred miles, II everything
goes right the run can be made in six
hours, TO which must be added an hour
for firing up before starting and an hour
cleaning the engine after comingin. What.
ever happens on the road causing delay
to treights is loss to the employees. Ii il
takes iorty-fve hours from Martinsburg
TO Baltimore it only counts one day'spa
Formerly the company employed "hosi-
lerP," who attended TO cleaning thelen-
giuss; now the irenen have 10 do that
work. Last summer, when the "hostlers"
were put oil, committee Of firemen wait.
ed on President Garrett 10 state their
grievances. He would not gee them, and
next day they were all discharged. The
brakemen, who used 10 get SO per month,
now get about $50. The conductors, who
used to get 800, now make about 500
The system Of "iirst in first out" is con.
sidered great grievance by the men.
1t amounts to this About r. N. possibly
a dozen freight trains, all close together,
will arrive at Baltimore, and the first
man in will have TO take the first train
out, generally without rest or meals and
without being able to see his family.
Thus it often happens that a fireman is on
his engine two days at u stretch without
any sleep and with no food except what
he takes in his bucket. As regards earn.
ings, it ia asserted that about One.hAlf OF
tue fremen in the employ OF the Balti.
more & Ohio Railroad for long time
past, owing to small wages and the meth.
cd OF moving trains, after paying expen.
ses at Martinsburg, have not averaged
$40 per month for the support OF their
families. In consequence many Of them
have had to move outside Of the city, not
being able even to pay room rent. This
ia the statement Of four men now in the
employ Of the company, divested Of the
color which their simple but iorcible ex-
preston and emphatic manner lent to the
original statement.