The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-01-25
Only the Engineer and Fireman Killed.

A few days since a iovial 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 stand at Erie telegraph-boy
stepped aboard with telegram, adj
dressed to the general manager of q
leading Western road. The manager
tore off the envelope, scanned the mes
sage, threw 1t down on the seat, and re-
marked: eve had an accident on our
road last night In answer to the
question "Was anybody ihjuredP' he
thoughtlessly remarkedi "Only the
engine and baggage-car left the track
nobody was killed but the engineer and
fireman. adding: They have hard
luck this year, several having been
killed on otir road. We have to run so
to make tip the time lost by our
Eastern connections; it's all day
w, til the MEN on the foot-board if their
engines leave the track. ~ To the re-
mark that engineers and firemen should
be the best paid men iii railroad service,
the general manager said: "They are
paid well enough on our road. They
average to run eight hours of the TWEEN
ty-four, and get from 1915 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,
''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 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 running 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 conversation by st8t-
ing that occasionally men become timi'
and not daring to run to make up los
time, would throw UP their jobs
"One," he said, "came into my Office
the other day. looked hlr
in the face pleasantly, and askec
We'll, what is up. JimP Z
said: Well, manager -, have rri
the night express now going on twelve
years. and / have decided to turn my
run over to some other man. ] have
had a presentiment that one of these
nights 104 will jump the track, and
there will be, without moments
warning, 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. Ii you want
me to run one of the day trains l will
do it, but I have had enough of this
running through the country at a speed
of forty-five miles per hour when it is
so dark that YOU can not see two train
lengths ahead. | told him would talk
with the master mechanic and arrange
for his running local train for awhile,
until he got over his foolish scare"
Another subject was then introduced
for few moments, then the question
of salaries of railroad officers was
brought up, and in the course of the
conversation the general manager re-
time for two or three years past with
their road. They had been expanding
a good deal on road-bed, and he con-
tented himself with Sc, year, but
he looked for better pay the coming
year, as through new connections their
business will largely increase. II have
been on to New York for few DAYS
talking about our affairs, and left eur
people feeling pretty good. We have
Just scooped in another sixty miles of
road. Some of our folks bought the
stock of two or three of the
largest stockholders and have FROZEN
out the little stockholders, and now
have the road in their own hands.
After hearing the conversation through,
the writer of this article asked himself
which of the railroad men spoken of
above deserves the larger pay, the man.
ager, who rides over the country in
elegant coaches, smoking fifteen-cent
cigars and aiding the directors of the
road to concoct schemes to freeze out
little stockholders, or tbs man at the
throttle, who daily safely runs trains
through between two or three principal
Western cities, laden with business meA
and pleasure-seekersP = IndtaaGpeM
Journal.