Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1880-03-14
A BRAKEMAN AT CHURCH.
"THE CREED OF THE BELLS" DONE IN RAILROAD
VERNACULAR-THE EFFORT THAT PROsTKA
TED BOB BURDETTE, THE "HAwKEYB'

sengerreading " General Grants Tour Around
the World" and wondering why " Green s
August Flower" should be painted above the
doors of A Buddhist Temple at Bsnares 3"
To me comes the brakemen, and seating him
self on the arms of the seat, says:
{" went to church yesterday
Yes" said, with that interested nfec
ton that asks for more And what church
did you attend"
Which do you guess?' he asked.
| "Some union missien church" | hazarded
No" he said, " 'tiike to run on these
branch roads very much. l don't often 90 to
church, and when do, want to run on the
main line, where your run is regular, and you
go on schedule time and don't have to wait on
connections. [ don't like to run on connec-
tons. Good enough, but don't like it,
Episcopal" | guessed
Limited express" he said, "all palace cars,
and 81 extra for a seat, fast time and only
stops at big stations. Nice line, but too ex-
haustive for brakeman. All train men in
uniform, conductors punch and lantern silver
passengers are allowed to talk back to the con-
ductor, and it makes them too free and easy.
No, l couldn't stand the palace cars. Rich
road, though. Don't often hear of a Receiver
being appointed for that line. Some mighty
nice people travel on it, toe. "
" Universalist" | suggested.
" Broad guaye,' said the brakemen; " does
too much complimentary business. Every
DO ly travels on "A pass. Conductor don't get
a fare once in fifty miles. Stops at flag sta
tions and won't run into anything but a union
depot. No smoking car on the train. Train
orders are rather vague, though, and the train
men don get along very well with the passen-
gers No, | don't 90 to the Universaist,
though do know some awfully good men who
run that road.
' Pl esbyterian, [ asked.
Marrow guage, Ell! pretty track, straight
as a rule; tunnel right through mountain,
rather than 90 around it; spirit-leve grade;
passengers have to show their tickets before
they get on the train. Mighty strict road, but
the cars are little narrow have to sit one in
seat, and no room in the aisle to dance.
Then there are no stop over tickets allowed
You 60 straight through to the station you re
ticketel for, or you can't get on at all. When
the cars full, no extra coaches; cars built at
the shop to hold just many, and nobody
else allowed on. But you don't often hear of
an accident on that road. Its run right up to
the rules"
Maybe you joined the Free Thinkers"
said.
Scrub road said the brakeman, "dirt
road bed and no ballast; no time card and no
cry engineer makes his own time, just as he
pleases. Smoke if you want to; kind of 60
as you-please road. Too many side tracks and
every switch wide open all the time with the
swtchman sound asleep, and the target lamp
dead out. Get on as you please and get off
when you want to. Don't have to show your
tickets, and the conductor isn't expected to
do any thing but amuse the passengers No,
sir, L was offered pass, but don't like the
line. Don't like to travel on a road that has
no terminus. Do you know sir, | asked di-
vision superintendent where the road run to-
and he said he hoped to die if he knew. |
asked him if the general superintendent could |
tell me, and he said he didn't believe they had |
a general superintendent, and if they did, he |
didn't know any more about the road than the |
passengers | asked him who he reported to
and he said nobody. | asked a conductor
didn't take orders from any living man or dead |
ghost. And when | asked the engineer who
he got his orders from, he said he d like to see
anybody give him orders; he'd run that train
10 suit himself, or he d run it into the ditch
Now you see, sir, I'm railroad man, and |
lon't care to run on a road that has no time,
makes no connections, runs nowhere, and has
10 superintendent. 1t may be all right. but
we railroaded too long to understand it.
Maybe you went to the Congregational
church, | said.
"Popular road, an old road too-one of the
cry oldest in the country. Good road bed,
md comfortable cars. Well managed road,
co. Directors don't interfere with Division
'uperntendents and train orders. Roads
mighty popular, but it's pretty Independent,
co. Yes didn't one of the Division Snperin-
endents down east discontinue one of the old )
st stations on this line, two or three years !