San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-03-29
IIusalted Railroad Hands.
peck's Sun.

,.,s like better than to play a jok,
:, a new train hand. If new hant
..hos hold of his duties with a willing
unit unit. and does not aeem to expect t.
sp p nromoted to general superintendent
.%a FIRST week, the boys confine them
s nIyes to innocent jokes, like sending
S;,,, 10 the caboose after o coupling
i;mL or pin, which has been heated
~ the stove, and laid in the corne,
Of the car. He picks it up and drops
~ But if the new hand is unsalted,
a shows that it is onlya matter Of
time when he is going to own the
r u they lay for him, and before
t tH get through teaching him he
iesis small, and is willing to admit
there are others worthy of passing
notice. Not long ago a new hand
WAS nut on a way freight that runs
vest ives from Milwaukee, and the old
hands could see at once that he would
be meat for them. He wore an imita-
t;on sealskin cap with coon-skin
sar LAPS, and q Prince Albert coat
with the middle button buttoned. On
the coolest day he would not wear an
overcoat because it would cover his
Prince Albert; and he had an air of a
crushed tragedian. He seemed above
b;s business, and what little education
he had was constantly obtruded upon
the bows in the caboose. After two
or three trips the boys decided upon
plan of action. They carried their
meals in tin pals, and would get in
the caboose when the train was side
tracked to eat, and they began to
grumble because they could not run
the trains so as to strike an eating house
at the hour for meals. They argued
the question, and the conductor said
that he believed that if good, smart
railroad employee should be appoint
ed to present the case before the gen
eral manager, that he would order
the freight trains to run so they could
get a warm meal, by connecting
with eating houses. But the con-
ductor said there was no freight train
man who had the intelligence or pre-
possessing appearance necessary for
the task. He said what was wanted
was a man who had gall, and face
to back his remarks. If such a man,
one whose education and flow OF
language, and decent appearance,
would command his respect, would
go to him as the representative Of the
hard working freight train men, it
would have good effect, and such a
man would be sure to make his mark.
He said the man liked to have the
boys showspirit, and yet there were
few who dared go up to him and
make demand, and insist upon it's
being granted. This was meat for
the fresh brakeman. He said if the
boys said so he would go to the man
ager and take his scalp. He said
when he was in school he was a ter
ror in debating society, and if he
could'n argue with man he whipped
him, and that ended it. So the boys
drew up paper demanding that all
trains be run on schedule time to
connect with eating houses at meal
time, and the next day he was to go
to headquarters with his petition and
make his demand The boys posted
some of the fellows here in town, and
they fell in. They secured q suite OF
rooms of one of the superintendent
in the city, and put a'sign on the
door with the name of the general
manager of the road, and marked it
private" Then they got six-foot
brakeman from another division to
personate the general manager, and
the conductor of the freight piloted
the first brakeman into the front
room, where dozen who were IN
the secret, were sitting aroundl APP
pearantly busy as clerks, etc. The
conductor said he would only go to
the front door as he would not meet
the general manager for thousand
dollars. The first brakeman said
he was not afraid of any man on
earth, ..and he. would so in. He spoke
to the man in the front room who
was in charge, and asked if the gen,
eral manager was in. The man SAID
he was and asked the business OF the
visitor. The unsalted brakeman
said, as. he pulled out his petition
that he had been appointed by COM
mittee to wait on the general mana,
ger on a matter of importance, and
the man in charge told him to step
r;ol,4 49, H. Ill, ,oopo He went