Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-02-28
THE CHGRCH RO1D.

idly on the window pane, cross pas
senger sound asleep and the tall thin
passenger reading General Grant 9
Tour Around the World" and Won
dering why "Bull's Cough Syrup
should be printed above the door OF
"a Buddhist temple at Benares." To
me comes the brakeman, and seating
himself on the arm of the seat says !:
81 went to church yesterday"
Eyes p | said, with that interest
ed infection that asks for more.
"And what church did you attend p
(Which do you guess =? he asked.
"Some union mission church ?" l
hazarded.
"Now," he said, 81 don like to
run on those branch roads very
much. | don't often go to church,
and when ! do, want to run on the
man line, where your run is regular
and you go en- schedule time and
don't have to wait on connections. /
don't like to run on a branch. Good
enough, but don't like it."
Episcopal 2" | guessed.
Limited express" he said, all pal
ace cars and two dollars extra for a
seat fast time and only stop at big
stations. Nice line, but too exhaust
tive for brakeman. All train men
in uniform, conductors punch and
lantern silver plated and no train
boys allowed. Then the passen-
GERS are allowed to talk back at
the conductor, and it makes them too
free and easy. Rich road, though.
Don't often hear Of receiver being
appointed for that line. Some
mighty nice PEOPLE travel on it, too"
"Universalists r suggested,
BROAD gauge" said the brakeman;
"doep too much complimentary bust
ness. Everybody travels on a pass.
Conductor doesn't get a fare once in
flty miles. Stors at all flag stations
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't get
along well with the passengers. No,
| don't 90 to the Universalist, though
| know some awful good men who
run on the road"
"Presbyterian p | asked.
Marrow gauge, eh?' said the
brakeman, pretty traok, straight as
a rule tunnel right through a noun
tain rather than go al ound it; spirit
level 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's no stop over
tickets allowed got to go straight
through to the station you're ticketed
for or yon can't get on at all. When
the cars full, no extra coaches cars
built at the shops to hold just so
many and nobody else allowed on.
But you don't often hear of an acci-
dent on that road. It's run right
up to rules"
Maybe you joined the Free Think
ers? ?" I said.
"Scrub road, said the brakeman,
"dirt road bed and no ballast no time
card and no train dispatches. All
trains run wild, and every engineer
makes his own time, Just as he pleas
es. Smoke if you want to kind Of
80 as you please road. Too many
side tracks, with the switchman sound
asleep and the target 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 ex-
peoted to do anything but amuse the
passengers. No, sir, was offered a
pass, but | don't like the line. |
don't like TO travel on road that has
no terminus. Do you know, sir, |
asked division superintendent
where that road run to, and he said
he hoped to die if he knew. | asked
him if the general superintendent
could tell me, and he didn't believe
they had a general superintendent,
and if they had, he didn't know any
thing more about the road than the
passengers. ! asked him who he re-
ported to, and he said nobody" |
asked conductor who he got his or
ders from and he said he didn't take
orders from any living man or dead
ghost. And when | asked the engi-
L H. bp