The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-02
Locomotive Engineers.

Apractical engineer says, through the
Detroit Free Press:
So much has been said of the daunt-
less courage and self-sacrifcing heroism
of locomotive engineers, as displayed
during the few seconds intervening be-
tween the discovery of immediate i'm
pending danger and the actual occur
renee, that it has become the subject of
much annoyance to our profession.
During my experience of over ten years
as engineer of both slow and fast trains,
on various prominent lines, there has
never been, to my knowledge, one acct
dent where the presence of an engineer
on his engine, after certain acts have
been performed (unless as precaution
of personal safety, was not the. height
of foolhardiness, and this in justice to
all concerned in the general result.
On passenger train, after the air.
brakes are applied, the engine reversed,
and the sand-lever open, the presence
OF whole cabful of cool-headed, ex-
perienced engineers would not alter the
result one single bit. Now as to the
''eagle-eyed hero" who has so many
lives at his mercy in times when mortal
danger stares his train in the face. What
is the man there for, if not to use every
possible exertion to avert impending
calamity? Is it not the intention of his
superiors that he shall take the train
safely to its destination, and in passing
over his run to use every known precau-
ton for safety? We are familiar with
and use daily methods for safety I'M
known to the public and not definitely
provided for in the regulations of the
company. An engineer who would
abandon his engine at the first sight of
danger, without having first used the
means at his command to lessen the re-
suit, would (save in very exceptional
cases) be hooted out of the coun-
try. From the very earliest stages
in the apprenticeship of an engineer,
it is daily brought to his notice
that the correct and proper thing to do
in all cases where sudden stop is re-
quired, is to reverse and open the throt-
tie, using sand to keep the wheels from
slipping, and in his usual work on local
freight trains he has it continually in
use before him, nile doing switching,
etc. Thus long before he becomes a
passenger engineer it is second nature
to him to adopt this method when occa-
sion demands. In addition to this means
all passenger engines are provided with
air-breaks, and their application be-
comes from frequent usage quite as me-
chanical under all circumstances as in
the previous mentioned means provided.
1t takes much less time than those I'M
initiated can imagine to accomplish all
that is possible for an engineer to do to
stop his train; very few seconds suf-
fee, and nearly always he has ample
time to Jump and save himself from
quite probable injury. We who are
daily liable to be subjected to the re-
quirements know the uselessness of rum
ming unnecessary risks, and how few are
the thanks we receive from our employ
ers when (and they are the ones we are
most concerned in keeping on the right
side of, perchance, one of our number,
by an error of Judgment, suffers per-
sonal injury. If the truth were known,
it is not quite freely accepted as fact,
after the usual means to stop have
been made, many good man has gone
to his death by reason of being seized
with q sort OF paralysis, and being rem
dered helpless for the time being by the
thought of the terrible calamity to fol-
low. 1t is customary to tell the fireman
to jump, and as he can in nowise assist
in these emergencies, he usually escapes
unhurt. ...,.
Occasionally on crooked roads col
lisions occur SO suddenly that both men
on the engine are killed without the usual
few seconds warning, and then it is GUS
tomary to laud those killed as brave
men who went to their death rather than
desert their posts of duty, while in real
ity the poor fellows had only time to
feel the sudden choking sensation al
ways present when sudden mortal dan
ger stares at us. ....,
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