The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-05-02

The brakeman is the man who is employ.
ed by a railroad company to stand upon the
top of freight car, and work both hands at
the engineer, and to help stop the train when
it is necessary
Next to being bareback rider in a circus
the small boy pants to be brakeman, so he
can sit on the wheel of brake and chew to-
hacco while The train is running at full
speed. The fact that brakeman is often
seen pegging broadcast over the hand on
wooden leg or minus an arm, often
causes people to believe that he is an old
soldier, or has served term in base ball
club.
There are two kinds of brakemen--the
passenger and freight Tho passenger
brakeman is q gentleman of considerable
leisure, and by the nonchalant way in which
he comes through car and tramps on the
passengers feet is often mistaken for the
conductor
He does not have much else to do but
slam doors, growl at the porter, and when
the train arrives at the station to yell
Ponooyah when he should say "Pont-
| chatoula."
The freight brakeman is an entirely diff
ferent man. He is grim, silent aud digni-
fed. He seldom speaks except to curse the
green hand ON the rear end OF the train,
whom he affectionately refers to as "pud-
ding" Despite his faults, however, he
works hard and very often arises to a po-
sition of Importance, unless some day he
tries to use his body as coupling pin and
fails.
AT night, when freight train is side
tracked at meeting point, aud all his COM
panions are squatted on pile of cross-ties,
the brakeman is in his glory. He t hen dis
cusses I'd HJitnm the affairs of the road, an
critcises every one from the President down
to the most humble official He does not
hesitate to say that if the President can't
run road any better than he does he
should go off somewhere and drive canal
boat
After he has said this and other things
concerning the asininity of the officials in
general, he turns to one of his companions
and says:
Jimmie did you ever know that old
fellow, Bill MeGinty, who has just been
appointed Superintendent of the j., X. Il
CT"
'What, McGinty2 or course I've eeel
him; and you bet he's fine old plum to be
Superintendent"
"Well, I should think he was. | was
brolan,an nm iba Southarn n;y;s;o, Of T ~
4 N. when he got his first iob--old Matt
johnson was pulling us-and McGinty was
SO green he didn't know a draw-head from
switch-frog. No matter how slow old Matt
Johnson backed up that fellow couldn't
couple car and sometimes for half an
hour we were backing up ane going ahead,
until you could hear Matt Johnson curse for
two miles off. III be blamed if | don't
think he tried to kill MeGinty. He used to
come back and jam the draw-heads under
tho cars, but when he pulled ahead again
McGinty would step ont without a scratch
on him. A road, 1 tell you is mighty
hard mp when they take such thing rs Nc.
Ginty.'
At tie conclusion Of such speech the
whc.o crowd of brakemca viii review the
history of McGinty, and Hn.liy without
dissenting voice, VIII arrive at the conclu.
sion thas he - a fine old plum" The
brakeman ~ 10 DO admired for the remarka-
Ole manner IN when ne gets winu OF various
md sundry plans which the management in-
lend to place III operation and wish to keep
quiet.
The brakeman will sit on the end of
cross-tie, swap opinions concerning the wis
1om of the President in connecting such a
plan long before the la-de-da clerks in the
general Office obtain the merest inkling of it.
If an appointment is to be made he will tell
you the name of the man and the time the
is to go into effect -New Or
kans Dem0crat