The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-22
The Brakeman.

The brakeman is man who is en-
ployed by railroad company to stand
upon the top of u freight Car and work
both hands at the engineer, and to helr
stop the train when it is necessary.
Next to being a bareback rider in a
circus, the small boy pants to be brake
man, so he can sit on the wheel of .he
brake aid chew tobacco while the train is
running at full speed. The fact that d
brakeman is often seen begging broad
cast over the land with a wooden leg or
minus an arm, often causes people to be-
lieye that he is an old soldier, or has
served term in a baseball club
There are two kinds of brakem en-the
passenger and freight. The passenger
brakeman is gentleman of considerable
leisure, and by the noDchalant way in
the passengers feet, is often taken 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
"Pontchatoula
The freight brakeman is an entirely
different man. He is grim, silent and
dignified. He seldom speaks except to
curse the green hand on the rear end of
the train, whom he affectionately refers
to as a pudding" Despite his faults,
however, he works hard and often rises
to position of importance, unless some
day he tries to use his body IS coupling
pin, and fails.
At night, when freight train is side
tracked at meeting point, and all his
companions are squatted on a pile of
cross-ties, the brakeman is in his glory.
He then discusses lad libitum" the af-
fairs of the road, and criticises every
one, from the president down to the
most humble official. He does not hest
tate to say that if the president can't run
a road any better than he does, he should
go off somewhere ard drive a canal boat
After he had said this and other things
concerning the asininity of the officials
in general, he turns to one of his COM
panions and says:
Jimmie, did you ever know that old
fellow, Bill McGinty, who has just been
appointed superintendent of the X.
& CT"
"What, McGinty? OF course I've seen
him; and you bet he's a fine old plum to
be superintendent"
well, l should think he was. L was
brakeman on the southern division of the
|. G. d N. when he got his first job--old
Matt JohDson was pulling us-and Nc
Ginty was 80 green he didn't know
draw head from switch frog. No mat.
ter how slow, old Matt johnson booked
up that fellow couldn't couple car,
and sometimes for half an
hnn
and going ahead, until you could hear
Matt Jones curse two miles off, I'll be
blamed if l don't think he tried to kill
McGintv. He used to come back and
jam the Drawbacks under the cars, but
when he pulled ahead again McGinty
xq road TT fei p' y Siinn IS mighty on him
when it will take such thing as Nc
Ginty."
At the conclusion of such a speech the
whole crowd of brakemen will review the
history of McGinty, and finally, without
a dissenting voice, will arrive at the con
clusion that he is fine old plum" The
brakeman is to be admired for the re-
markable manner in which he gets wind
of various and sundry plans which the
management intends to place in opera
ton and wish to keep quiet.
The brakeman will sit on the end of
cross.tie, swap opinions concerning the
wisdom of the president in concocting
such plan before the la-de-da clerks in
the general Office to obtain the merest
tinkling of it. If an appointment is to
be m ,de he will tell you the name of the
man and the time the appointment Is to
go into effect.