The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-05-18
RAILROAD FILTRATION.
An Order on the Hudson River and Harlem
Lines With Which Brskemen are Dissat-
New York Herald

An Order on the Hudson River and Harlem
Lines With Which Brakemen are Dissat-
isfied.
New York Herald
Flirting with the girls is one of the Oldest
privileges enjoyed by railroad brakemen.
1t is distinctivelv understood on the lines of
all railroads that the throwing of kisses. the
waving of handkerchiefs and the raising of
caps from bushy heads are duties which
every brakeman understanding the regula-
tons laid down for his guidance by conn.,
mon consent most faithfully performs on
every convenient occasion. And if there
be no convenient occasion he makes one
and firts anyhow with every young woman
who happens to look at a passing train.
The young woman living contiguous to a
railroad must, indeed, be differently con-
stituted from the rest of her sisters if she
does not readily yield to the Establishments
of the persistent brakeman, who, hav-
ing studied the art of filtration, can run the
gamut of signs and motions quickly and ar
tistically. From long practice and pleasant
memories of success the brakeman scarcely
ever fails to attract the attention of every
young woman who comes as a stranger. to
reside at any point along the line of road.
As the Irritation progresses the young girl,
ing with bushes, becomes holder and lirts
harder. She instils more energy into her
arm when she waves her hat or her hand
kerchief and her face is beaming with smiles
whenever the brakeman passes, and she
makes it part of her daily duties to be in
sight about the time the train is due. At
length the girl becomes well enough &C
quainted to speak to the brakeman when
she sees him, and when she gets on his train
his time is sorely taxed between keeping up
a running conversation with her and keep
ing sharp lookout for the rest of the girls
along the road who expect recognition.
Notwithstanding the fact that Irritation is
Il time-hOnored custom, the New York Cen
trail and Hudson River Railroad Company's
officers have issued orders that hereafter
bralxemen shall not flirt or enter into con-
versation with any women or girls while on
their trains. This rule also applies to the
Harlem Division. The brakemen feel an
noyed and indignant that they are singled
out, and that the more aristOcratic conductor
is exempt. The order has not been the
means of more firmly connecting the bonds
of unity and confidence between the brake
men and the conductors, in favor of whom
the officers seem inclined to discriminate
FROM THE BRAKEMEN's STANDPOINT.
The views of several brakemen have been
obtained by the reporter, and they are so
strictly homogeneous that the opinion of one
will suffice for the fraternity. When asked
what he thought of the order, the brake
man, a good-looking, curly-haired, blue
eyed young fellow, who has been on the
Harlem Division for five or six years, replied
with much warmth, 81 think we can stand
it, but it will be pretty difficult to see the
conductor and TIE engineer, and even the
baggageman and fireman, carrying on a
business that belongs by right of discovery
ductors are getting old and ugly, and some
of them were ugly before they got old.
They always try to control the flirting mar
ket and run the 'buzzing' business on the
trains; but the young women like to be ne
ticed by young men better than by old ones,
even if they have gold bands around their
preference for us brakemen it upsets the
conductors, and 1 know they have CON-
planned about brakemen flirting. / wish
you would just watch those old fellows and
see how gallant they are. 1t would do you
good to see them help a young lady on and
off the trains, and drop mechanically into
tons. We are not allowed to do it now,
and this gives conductors an entire monop-
oily"
"How do you think the young women
will receive the news2" inquired the repor-
ter.
"Not kindly. They like flirting as we'll
as we do, and they will continue to 1irt.
They won't mind the order. They will flirt
with us if we don't with them. They under
stand pretty we'll who is responsible for the
order, and I'll bet you the conductors won't
make anything by it. We are not loafers
nor Doors because we are brakemeH. Some
of US know how to be civil and gentlemanly
to everybody-men and old and homely
women as well as pretty ones-and that is
an requirement some of the conductors do
not and never will possess, and and it seems
pretty hard that we should all be branded as
a lot of social brigands, while the men who
wear finer clothes and receive better pay are
allowed to have full sweep from the baggage
car door on every window full of young wo-
men. 1t isn't fair, but we can't kick If
we do we get fired
A conductor who was Intercepted on
the subject looked whimsically at the re-
porter, and replied that he never firted
first. at is not necessary. There are
plenty of foolish young women always
ready to begin the business if you give them
the least opportunity" he replied. ave
have no notion of interfering with brake
men, but tel. you this flirting business
became a nuisance. They had too many
girls
Suppose the order had included conduct
ors as well as brakemen?" the reporter in
quired.
ave don't fiirt. 1t is the women that
firt, and no order will stop them.'
"You are spoken of by the brakemen as
monopolists in the business" the reporter
suggested.
"That isn't true The engineer is the man.
He gets the first flirt always. and sometimes
it is difficult to tell for a long time whether
the girls are flirting with him or the con-
ductor, but we have the advantage all the
time, for when one of the tiirters gets on the
train, it is easy to see who they have been
flirting with. If it is the conductor she will
smile as she hands him her ticket, and ask
some foolish question or make some COM
mon-place remark which will bring on a
conversation. If the conductor is not the
man, she will look black as thunder-cloud
when you take up the ticket. No, sir; the
women do all the flirting with the conduct
ors. think the order is a good one, for
flirting on trains doesn't look well. 1 don't