The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-05-07
RAILROAD FILTRATION.
An Order on the Hudson River and Harlem
Lines With which Brakemen are Dissat-
isfied
New York Herald.1

privileges enjoyed by railroad brakemen.
1t is 6istinctivelv 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-
tions laid down for his guidance by com-
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 passing train
The young woman living contiguous to q
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 Irritation, 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,
at first coy and bashful and her face burn
ing with bushes, becomes bolder and flirts
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 we'll enough ac-
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 a sharp lookout for the rest of the girls
along the road who expect recognition.
Notwithstanding the fact that Irritation is
a time-honored custom, the New York Cen
tral and Hudson River Railroad Company's
officers have issued orders that hereafter
brakemen shall not firt 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 cond uctor
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.
The brakemen insist, with great deal of
logic, that flirting must now become a mo-
nopoly with the conductor whereas, under
the workings of the old system, the compe-
tition was often exciting and interesting, es-
pecially on the Harlem Railroad, where good
looking brakemen run with conductors for
whom nature has not done much classical
facial duty. The natural advantages of
conductors over brakemen for tete-a-tetes on
trains where brakemen are suppressed by
general orders are regarded with anxi-
ETY. and suspicion by the brakemen. They
have a suspicion that the conductors who
have been compelled to compete with the
brakemen, ofttimes to their chagrin, in IA
vor with lady passengers, have been guilty
of lobbying the order through. They think
there are only three or four conductors on
the Harlem Division, and three or four on
the Hudson River. who dare stand on theil
physiognomical merits with the younger
and more charmingly polite brakemen. The
brakemen have no such desire to monopo.
lize the smiles and good opinions of the Ia
dies as the conductors appear to be possessed
of, and if their more fortunate superb
DTS are not able to cope with them in the
business which belongs to railroading, the
conductors ought not to take sly advant
age of them, but be manly and acknowledge
their shortcomings.
FROM THE BRAKEMEN's STANDPOINT.
The views of several brakemen have beer
obtained by the reporter, and they are Sc
strictly homogeneous that the opinion of on,
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 th'
Harlem Division for five or six years, replied
with much warmth, 81 think we can stanC
it, but it will be pretty difficult to see th'
conductor and tfe engineer, and even thu
baggageman and fireman, carrying on ,
business that belongs by right of discovery
to the brakeman. You see some of the con
ductors are getting old and ugly, and som,
of them were ugly before they got old
They always try to control the flirting mar
ket and run the 'buzzing' business on tn
trains; but the young women like to be no
ticed by young men better than by old ones
even if they have gold bands around thei
caps, and when the young women show
preference for us brakemen it upsets tn
conductors, and l know they have com
planned about brakemen flirting. l wis
you would just watch those old fellows AM
see how gallant they are. 1t would do yo
good to see them help a young lady on an,
off the trains, and drop mechanically into
seat beside pretty woman between sta
tions We are not allowed to do it now
and this gives conductors an entire monop
oly."
'sHow do you think the young wome
will receive the news?" inquired the repor
| ter.
"Not kindly. They like flirting as wei
as we do, and they will continue to fiir'
They won't mind the order. They will fir
with us if we don't with them. They under
stand pretty we'll who is responsible for tn
order, and I'll bet you the conductors won
make anything by it. We are not loafer
nor Doors because we are brakemen. Som
of us know how to be civil and gentlemanl
to everybody-men and old and homel,
women as we'll as pretty ones-and that
au requirement some of the conductors d.
not and never will possess, and and it seem
pretty hard that we should all be branded q
a lot of social brigands, while the men VIII
wear finer clothes and receive better pay ar
allowed to have full sweep from the baggag
car door on every window full of young VIC
men. 1t isn't fair, but we, can't kick |
we do we get fired
A conductor who was interrogated o.
the subject looked whimsically at the re
porter, and replied that he never firte
first. cit is not necessary. There ar
plenty of foolish young women alway
ready to begin the business if you give theI
the least opportunity he replied. "W
have no notion of interfering with brak,
men, but tell you this flirting busine
became a nuisance. They had too man
girls
Suppose the order had included conduc
ors as well as brakemen?" the reporter il
quired.
1--WE don't fiirt. 1t is the women thl
Airt. and no order will stop them"
"You are spoken of by the brakemen
monopolists in the business" the report'
suggested.