The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1884-06-05
gsIsetsH Story.
RAILWAY HEROES.

Coal-dust, cinders, oil and smoke
usually make fremen on duty rath-
er grimy-looking personages. Per-
haps few among the thousands who
ride in the railroad cars behind us
would care for our acquaintance.
But we are useful-as useful, per
haps, as any other class Of men;
and certainly we have our full
share Of the hard, disagreeable
things in life, including frequent
perils and much exposure to wealth
er.
Working up from fireman to en-
gine-driver-or ''engineer' as we
are usually called in this country
is often a slow process. There are
men on our line-the hudson Riv-
er railroad-who have been firing
eleven years, with no promotion
yet: though they are no doubt full
ly competent to run an engine.
For promotion depends almost
wholly upon vacancies occurring,
or some special influence at head
quarters.
A man ought to become familiar
with a locomotive in eleven years.
l thought l knew every screw in
mine after firing two years. Yet
it takes a good deal of time to
learn to fire well, so as to get the
most steam out Of the least fuel,
and have the highest pressure at
the grades where it is most needed.
To do this a man should know the
road, every rod oft, as well as the
engine.
Then comes the oiling. An en-,
gine requires a great deal of oil,
as we'll as coal and water. The
fireman has to keep in mind all
those scores of bearings where oil
has to be applied. Between oiling,
shoveling in coal, shaking and stir
ring up his fire-to keep it steady
and hot-and looking to his stock
Of coal and water, he is kept busy
and must needs watch sharply.
But a man gets these duties we'll
fixed in his head in time.
1t is while ''fring" that the prac-
tical knowledge of running an en-
CINE is gained. A fireman is the
groom, SO to speak, Of the Iron
horse He must, morning and
evening, have the engine polished,
''ixed up" and ready for his supe-
rior, the engineer, to step into the
cab and start of. Usually the en-
gineer does not make his appear
ance till the moment Of connecting
with the train. Between the en-
gineer and his fireman there exists
all easy-going and manly sort Of
friendship, though 1 have known
cases where the two men detested
each other.
When I began to fire under Doc
Simmons, l scarcely knew enough
to build good fire in a cook-stove,
and could not have found a quarter
of the oil-caps. 1t must have been
trial to him the first week or two
But he never gave a sharp word
though he often had to tell me
things over and over again.
"Doc" the railway men all
called him-was superior engineer.
He knew every pound of metal in
a locomotive; just where it lay, and
how much it was good for. He
was one of those men who seem to
feel just what there is in q loco
motive the moment he takes hold
of the levers and starts up. He
was q good-hearted fellow, and al.
ways had apleasant word or joke
all aloug the line, and it is general
ly the case that snch men do not
fail the company o: the public at
critical moment.
went home and cried like q ba-
by the day doc" was killed. If
it had been my own father l could
not have felt half as badly. l ac-
tually wished that l had gone to
the bottom of the river with him.
It was the night of the 9Th of
February, and fearfully cold. We
had 'No III" then, and took out