Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-04
The Trip Of a Pay Car.

cit is a great deal of work to pay off
all the men employed on this road"
said the paymaster OF one of the
Northern railroads to q Globe reporter
yesterday.
81 should think so, indeed" said the
reporter. ':May I ask how it is done:?"
"Well, [ suppose the part of it which
would most interest the public is that
relating to the monthly trip of the pay
car. We have a car fitted up for the
purpose just like a bank office, with u
burglar-proof safe, and all the conv-nl-
ences for transacting business. We 90
out from Boston and pick up the men.
just where VIC find them, at the stations
or along the track. On payday the
men go about their ordinary business
just as on any other day, and we find:
them just where they happen to be at
work. At the stations we make Il stop
long enough to pay the station agent
and all the men, q half hour to an hour
being required at the larger stations"
"Do you send out word and have the
men come to some point of the line on
~pay-day?:"
1--WE don't have to do that; the mer
know about what time the pay car is
due and they come around without need
OF any extra summons. Our train is a
wild train, of course, and has to be
tagged all the way. The train ahead
of us carries q flag and the men sec it
and know the pay train is coming. We
have one engineer who always runs the
engine which draws the pay car, and he
understands the business. II we meet
Il gang OF track-repairers at work the
train stops right among them, and the
men file on board and get their pay.
No matter if but one man is at work in
a place, we stop for him. The road
master goes with us and identifies the
men,
81 have heard wonderful things about
your celebrity in paying men," Said the
reporter. II have heard that YOU have
been known to pay at the rate of 100 q
minute"
That's ridiculous. I pay on the av-
erage three or four a minute in the ear.
The men have to be identified, their
names must be found on the register,
the money is gwen them, and, of course,
they u count it before they finally
sign their names or make their marks
in acknowledgment of the receipt.
Sometimes we can go quicker than that
when there is pressing need. Occasion
ally where there is a large gang of men
at work the foreman arranges them in
line in the order of their names on the
payroll, as soon as the train comes in
sight. We have the money all counted
for them, and they are rushed aboard
the car paid OF. and we are gone before
they know it. In the cast Of a gravel
gang, where nine out of ten men would
have to make their mark, this can be
done very quickly. A shop gang, where
all would write their names, would re-
quire more time"
'lf any man happens not to be on
hand when the pay-car comes around
how does he get his money?n
return owe the same track for
the most part, and the men would be
pretty sure to be on hand then. If a
man is sick when a car comes along he
goes to the nearest station as soon as he
IS able and gets his pay from the agent.
Our trip takes about three days; we
have 1000 men to pay"
"lt must be a great deal of work?"
"Certainly it is, but there are pleas-
ant features about it. We make the
trip almost IN excursion. The party
that go in the pay-car have known each
other for a long while; they take it easy
and manage to have a pretty good time
out of the trip. The improvements that
are made from month to north interest
US, and of course there are stirring or
amusing incidents connected with every
trip. we have to be careful and look
out Tor the other trains, and take care
not to get stuck on sidings where there
is no telegraph within reach. There ia
one thing in u favor, and that is we
may be sure that everyone is a%nxiously
looking for our arrival AID genuinely
glad to see us when we come. h-Bostoa
EI1he