Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-03
.rHE PASSENGER GUARD.
Sketch of the English Ratlscay Conductor
and Hts Duties.

"THE PASSENGER GUARD"
yketch of the English Ratl,cay Conductor |
and Hts Duties.
London Paper.]
The guard comes on duty al least half
an hour before his train is timed to start,
carving his cushion, little bag contain
ing his dinner or his supper, and other
little needful comforts for the journey,
his signal flags in their leather case, his
time table, and his train book. He carries
his chronometer carefully compared with
the station clock, and, setting his incum-
ORANGES in their proper place IN his van,
makes survey of his train, care
fully noting in his train book
the number of his engine
numbers of bis carriages in their rota-
ton. He sees to the couplings and chains,
and also to his tail and side lamps. He
has then leisure to devote to the seating
of his passengers and to- their comfort,
inauiring as to their destinations, and ad-
vlsing them at what junction they must
severally alight if they are booked for
stations off the main line. He receives
his parcels and packages with the way
bills, and checks them, packing them in
his van, for easy handling on the way.
In express trains this work is not SO ar
duous, the stepping places being fewer,
and the distances at greater interval.
Everything being in its place, the passen-
gers all carefully tucked IN, and the clock
Indicating that time is up, the
guard waves his white flag, Or blows his
whistle, when the inevitable last man
comes breathlessly on the scene, to be
left behind, if the train has "got way
on" or to cause another blow of the
whistle, waving of outstretched arms
up and down, gradual slowing of the
train, and packing of this laggard into
the first convenient compartment; then
there is another whistle, and the train
pants out of the station, Kissing and puff
fling in thunderous tones, and is quickly
out of sight. Passengers settle down in
their corner seats-after comfortably adj
justing their wraps and exchanging their
hats for travelling caps-to the newspa-
pers, the latest society journal, or the
newest novel In the smoking compart-
ments these are enjoyed 10 the accom-
paniment of pipe or cigar. Travellers by
night, like sensible people, go to sleep
few reading, by the aid of travelling
lampc, for an hour or two, to court sleep.
In the guards van the soldiery occu-
pant first fills in the time OF departure in
his train-book, explaining cause of late
start, if any. He then sorts out his let
tiers, all official, ready to be handed out
at their proper destinations. Then his
waybills are scanned, and he checks his
parcels off on each, setting them in the
most convenient positions for delivery at
the stations to which they are booked, so
as to avoid delay, and also to afford time
to attend to the wants of the passengers.
| The rest of his time between stations was
devoted to a careful lookout ahead, and
aise to seeing that his hang-lamp is prop
erly trimmed, and his log signals
and chains are ready fol
emergency He keeps himself
warm, one can scarcely conceive how.
Perhaps he enjoys pipe now and again;
but look at him as he walks along the
platform when the train stops, and even
in very cold weather he rarely seems cold
though he seldom wears anything over
his uniform coat-a wonderful contrast
to his ustered and befurred and generally
muf1ed passengers. When ladies and
childred are confded to his care, who has
heard of an instance Of want of attention!
At every point on the journey where
there is longer than usual halt, whose
cherry face lights up the dreariness Of q
long journey by kindly intimation
that there will be ten minutes here,
or an inquiry whether there is nothing he
can get from the refreshInent room for
them. The very act of looking in to see
how they are inspires the timid.
and lifts them out of feeling of lone
illness or fear. Then, when the last stop.
ping place has been reached and when
the tickets are being collected, this man,
who has been a sort of a good providence
all the way, comes round to warn them
that they will be at the terminal station
in fifteen minutes, and that they had bet
ter be preparing to alight. At the ter
minus he sees them all safely landed and
handed over to one of the station porters,
with strict charges as to impediments,
and then-adieux. He has several such
charges on his hands each journey, and
all sound his praises, and 80 the number
of these timid charges increases to the
manifest advantage of his company. 1t
is some time after the arrival of his train
| in the terminus before the last
VI 1uC luSSdSC valid 10 CuiptiCu
and its contents carried away, and the
guard is there to the last, handing over
his letters, his waybills and the traffic
these latter represent, to the parcel office
porters. Then he picks up his own i'm
pedimenta, deposits a portion in the
guards room in his own place; writes up
his train journal from his train book, in
closes it to the superintendent, and
trudges to his lodgings to breakfast and
the refreshment of daylight sleep. OF
course this latter follows an all-night
journey. In that event he gets up to
dinner at or 5 p. M, and may do what
he likes till O'Clock, when he turns up
on the departure platform to prepare for
similar experience on the return jour-
ney. If he travels the same journey by
day, that is followed by nights rest in
his lodging, and another all day journey,
and then he probably has day and a
night of rest to prepare for more night
work
Another Chicago Fire.
CHICAGO, Feb. AT 1l:45 tonight an
alarm was turned in for fire at 81 Lake street,
and a few minutes later second alarm called
mt oil tho cipoS in ba district Thu h,,;1d