The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-12
RAILROAD LIFE.
'Only the Engineer and Fireman Killed.
~Flippantly Remarked a Manager.

"Only the Engineer and Fireman Killed.
Flippantly Remarked a Manager.
A few days since a jovial party were coming
West, sitting in the smoking-room of an elegant
Wagner sleeping-coach. Among the number
were two or three railroad men and a couple of
Southern bankers. As the express train came to
a stand at Erie, a telegraph boy stepped aboard
with a telegram, addressed to the general man
ager of a leading Western road. The manager
tore off the envelope, scanned the message,
threw it down on the seat, and remarked: we
had an accident on our road last night" In an
swer to the question, 'Was anybody iniuredla
he thoughtlessly remarked: "Only the engine
and baggage-car left the track-nobody was
killed but the engineer and fireman. adding:
'"rhey have hard luck this year, several having
been killed on our road. We have to run so like
HI to make up the time lost by our Eastern
connections, it's, all day with the men on the
foot-board if their engines leave the track" To
the remark that engineers and fremen should
be the best paid men in railroad service, the gen
eral manager said: They are paid
wen enough ON our road. They aver
age to run eight hours of the twenty
four, and get from SD. 70 to 81 for their work, and
for such pay as that they can afford to take some
risks. Most of our men are reckless devils, and
set little value apparently upon their lives. The
best runner he said, 1--WE have on our road has
been running an engine some twenty five years;
he has been badly stove up in two collisions, yet
he is never in a happier frame of mind than
when he steps onto the foot-board with an order
in his pocket to make up an hour or two in run
ming 200 miles on his schedule time, which is
based ON thirty-seven miles per hour, stops to
come out" The manager then lighted his fifth
cigar smoked that day, and continued the con
v~ersation by stating that occasionally men
become timid, and not daring to
run to make up lost time, would throw
up their jobs. One, he said, came into my office
the other day. looked him in the face pleas
antly, and asked; Well, what is up, "JimR' He
said: Well, Manager - l have run the night
express now going on twelve years, and | have
decided to turn my run over to some other man.
] have had a pr~esentiment that one of these
nights 104 will jump the track, and there will be.
without a moments warning, a widow and four
children thrown upon the charities of the cold
world, as railroad corporations soon forget the
family Of one of their men who chances to get
killed. If you want me to run one of the day
local trains will do it, but / have had enough
Of this running through the country at a speed
Of forty FIVE miles per hour when il is
so dark that you cannot see two train
master mechanic and arrange for his running a
local train for awhile, until he got over his fool
ish scare. Another subject was then introduced
for a few moments, then the question of sala-
Fies Of railroad officers was brought up, and in
the course of the conversation the General Man
ager remarked that it had beer rather a hard