New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-04


LIFE BY A CONDUCTOR.
"Come, step livelym Bang!
sIet NE on sir, that wOman's my wife"
.'Is shei Why didn't you get on9 What's the mat
ter with your"
The FIRST words spoken by elevated road brake
man. as he drew quickly on board train just
starting ont lie banged the gate behind her, IN the
face of a man who closely following her. and doing
his best TO get on too The husband exposulated i'll the
terms used above and received the polite reply given,
which was accompanied with a lecr.
The man obtained his satisfaction by writing Of
the daily papers about 1t but the brakeman is still
employed on the road
They amt all like him., said another brakeman to
TRIBUNE reporter other day. who asked him what he
Thought of brakemen on the elevated roads in general.
Indeed there is douot," the brakeman continued.
''that there some men employed on
the road who are a disgrace to it. They
know only enough to pull bell-rope
and slam a gate. II anybody happens TO be get
ting aboard just the time when they shut the gatehey
had as lief knock it against him as not and II the man
who is trying TO get don't like it, and says anything
that brakeman will as likely as not ask him what's
struck him. or something Of that kind.
"Now 1 should do differently and do. OF course the
gate must be closed when the train starts. We must
obey orders You know how people come rushing along
to get Almost always after the train starts some
body comes along peI-mell, determined TO get on Well
we've got 10 draw the line somewhere ana Dten
drawn Just before he gets there. Sometimes he will
cent the situation and wait the train. great
many times he won't and then he tries TO get on nave
had men fry to omen the gale / must do nv duty and
keep them There is danger that they viii fan be-
tween the cars, or that they VIII strike against
one OF the station pillars IL Is the =. 10 hep
people just after the train started, we should soon
have a fine lot of accidents. -
There is" he went phosOphically, great differ
in how you shut the gate and in how You hep PEG
pie off after The You ought not TO slam the
gate spefully III a mans face, as If you would Ike to
wrench his nose Off Some men do that, but don't
You ought not TO strike man with your INST II De tres
to force his way in. You should keep him firmly of the
car, and not out of your way to nJure ne ieengs
But yOu know it is hard thing TO be excessively pOhte
under the circumstances.
A FEELING OF ANTAGONIST.
The great trouble is, there is unchristan feeling
Of antagonlsm the part of the public toward elevated
railroad 1 bound to admit that
this feeling is very largely reciprocated. Each in
one sense regards the other his enemy Railroad men
think the public is bound grumbe any way and there
are undoubtedly great many grumbers who travel.
suppose il nature TO grumble and we have TO
stand share Of it. For my part, though rarely
have any trouble There is great art III knowngJ just
how TO do things"
And of those things is to know just now 10 smut
a gate in a mans face ~
ayes replied the brakeman, "and to make him
feel thankful for the way in which you did tiff you
This brakeman was very modest man-in appear
Then, too" he went on there is no hankulness in
human nature on the elevated. If brakeman saves a
mans neck he generally gets no thanks fcrlt Inc ot1e
day tried TO get on the cars aier tney sta,ed: ne
man held the gate might been good sense to
ISytse Rnt the standing orders in the way. The
man fell between the cars, and would have been crushed
ha n9i him inn ont The man at once began cursn the en-
pIoye for touching him DO you call that gratitude ~
That's what it seems to me-"
Ticket agents and gateInen complain great Geal
cling public full of tricks, and that some one is always
trying to deceive them some % men are are az
human nature. The gatemen are not exactly happy
over their situation They think themselves placed be
tween two fires the public and their employers One Of
them young of firm convictions, said recently
mast and think of the days when he had plenty OF money
and spent it all foOshy he ought to get the position OF
same seat from o'clock in the morning until seven
O'Clock night. earn 81 20 Tor II ana tnk Desiues OF
a wife and family at home cudgehns ms Dllhs a. 10
how he will clOthe them, feed them, and pay his rent
twice year and look respectable as ucEet-agent
who gets g day. It's pleasant am I IL -,
He accompanied the question with an upward glance
II oenf give much time for amusement, does it 7"
he continued. "Up on the SecOnd-aye line they work
from i've in the morning until after eight at night
That makes only about sixteen hours III does give
much for balls the theatre DelmOnlcos ana that
sort of thing does it ~ .,.,
To change the SUBJECT Tue reporter bdlu, uo PSOpo
ever impose on You heref
SPECIES OF FRAUD.
"Don't they he exclaimed with alacrity.
"If you should sit here whole day you'd
find it out. Somebody's always trying
dodge to cheat the company. II doesn't Increase my
respect for human You let human nature get
good square chance all by ITSELF and it'll pan out awful
mean sometimes. Why would you believe it, I've even
had Sisters of Charity try lodges One came yes
terdav She bought ticket the window and put 1t
in her purse When she got along here she was going
ri ht ahead, when stopped her.
Your ticket, madame said l. 'Thc agent didn't !
give one said she.
The agent declared he had. Look in your pocket
hook NAM he said She did, and there was the ticket
suppose she thinking or somethlng eise WRtn sne
got H. and forgot she had had given 10 her Yet you
can't always tell whether or not people are trying 10 de-
ceive you ,, 49,, |
came 10 buy a ticket The ticket agent made some re-
mark her she handed out dollar DILL ldon Know
why he did that She pretty, and she ehatted
as usual quarter five-cent piece and six dimes. As
she went 10 take II she managed TO drop the Wnoe OF IT,
had gwen her put eighty cents in change He advised
her 10 look in her umbrella she had one she couldn't
over SO small sum- and started with high |
air. Just then the dime fell out from a |
pick il MP herself II the dime had fallen it did,
the ticket agent and the company Would have got the
These seem matters of mistake rather than imposi
well. were imposed npon7 the man said emphatic
ally and by nicely dressed women who pass for ladies'
cav that Is just behind, and has her ticket
She passes along quickly, and gets through without
ticket can't leave TO 20 after her, Tor II did, all the
rest might through and not put in Their tlckets
Couldn't you trust them to do the honest thingP
the reporter asked mildly.
The eateman merely vonchsafed n look. II was a
one, he doubted some ones sanity He
did trust human nature-On the elevated
rOad Then" he resumed, " every little while some
bod y tries the blue paper dodge"
. What's thatf'
Blue paper cut the size OF q ticket. When people
hurrying along IN crowd and putting tickets in
mower ips hard work TO keep watch OF them all And
Il puts in piece Of blue paper, you can't tell who
did II, when 80 many are dropping in Tickets"
Another dodge II for TO through the motions
merely. lie will hold his hand over the ticket-bOx and