The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-10-15
TRAINING CIR CONDUCTORS.
Getting nm Insight of the DiMcuIties of the
Men on tho Hear Platforms.


"To become surface street car conductor
acceptable to both the public and the railroad
company's officials is not by any means so
easy transformation from any other business
life rs most persons suppose" conductor old
in the service said. In tho first place you've
got to undergo rigid examination OF your
knowledge of tho streets across (which your
car is to pass This Is required In order that
the officials may be certain2before they take u
now man that no Is worth their attention. 1t
Is assumed that he can tell at once about what
the distance Is. for instance between Canal
street and Fourteenth street on uptown lines
or from Broadway to Sixth avenue on cross
town lines. or between any two important
points on the road. This is required in order
that the conductor may be able to know how
long time will be required to go from one
point to another and this again is necessary
in order that tho conductor may know not only
when he is behind or ahead Of time at a given
point but also whether he is going 10 be ahead
or behind time at a point beyond. Besides. a
which thew Is in order that thu
conductor may know when to announce u
street St where some PASSENGER has ordered him
as they should b" be- '- 'A' va '''i sos '""''
is recent invention. Nor was / required.
when first put my foot on car platform. to
Bother Honductor e ear al S,ore ws s" noEe 9 to
unless Of caarse. it /. evident, that the new
u quicker time. 1t was Il week before learned
the names of the streets and the order in
which they came but mt the end of that week
could name every cross street from one end OF
the line to tho other. backward or forward, as
fast as could make my tongue fly. II was, a
week of worry while l was learning though,
for often hadn't tho remotest notion when
was coming to street at which a lady had told
face when She came to the door. with red cheeks
and flashing eyes. and demanded the reason
why bad ,hd not stEoppesd at her street. and oni
lead all the passengers and any spotter on the
car to suppS s that was regular oldtime
But even after the streets are familiar /
find IT dinlcult to keep track Of myself at night,
It IS vary ark WIEN or IL IT E
very wet night and am inside collecting fares
the only way to keep track OF my position IS to
watch for certain landmarks which l have OBJ
served. Sometimes it is a white house. or
old tree. or vine clambering on a house front
or series Of vacant building lots. or bic. gilt
sG rye in the nc tall After
anything outside of the ear. and | have been
their eyes. ride mile and tell you to cars
length to what street they had come.
city ordinance requiring cars to be stopped on
the further crossing because by doing 80 the
cross street Is left clear for travel. Another
thing to be learned is the method of using the
indicators. which must be rung when a fare is
collected. There is one at each end OF the car
and the one at the forward end Is the one to be
rung. / mention that fact because q green
conductor had with mo few weeks ago spent
a week with me. and You could not imagine
that a human being could be SO stupid. He
tried to run one trip alone. and he succeeded
In ringing the wrong indicator repeatedly, in
ringing the indicator when he intended to ring
the bell to stop the car in stopping tho ear at
the wrong crossings for passengers to get out.
and in fact laundering at every step. 1t was
his first and his last trip"
What is the most difficult thing to learn?"
To run the car on time-neither too fast
nor too SLOW"
The reporter was about to jump from the
car, and he ventured TO remark You haven't
told how you learned 10 collect and take care
Of the fares"
I'm not giving everything away" Then.
with suspicious look at the reporter. You
are not n spottcr. are yOu?'
The reporter jumped.