Omaha daily bee., 1884-10-24

gine. Ii the fireman means to become q
capable runner he must at all times strive
to relieve his chief of as much work 40 he
can conveniently manage, for while he s
fireman ho should learn to do engineers
work and acquire the sleight Of hand of
doing it rapidly, so as to avoid all delay
on the road. It is on unfortunate fact,
however, that man <airemen seem to de-
fer all opportunities Tor learning the pro-
fession of locomotive engineering until
they are promoted to the positions of en-
gineer. A good many engineers, OF such
they call themselves, are men who have
fired few weeks or months, or have
worked around railroad shopas macAin-
lists help, hostling or perhaps wiping en-
gines. They know how to pull throttle,
open and shut it OIL, which way to throw
the reverse lever to move ahead or back
up, and some little about carrying water,
and shey may get along pretty well rs
| long as 1t is smooth sailing, but if light
wind springs up they are lost and In cas ,
of a break down or other emergency they
are completely broken up. IL engineers
were licensed, not only would ii have the
advantage OF being permanent letter of
introduction for them, but 1t would pre-
vent great many worthless and incom-
petsnt men from obtaining employment
as engineers who now, through their ig-
ncrance aud carelessness, cause she loss
of many lives and throw an evil reflection
ovsr the name and calling of an engineer
in the eyes of the public.
''is it safe to lot the fireman run the
enaineP asked the writer of q veteran
engineer with whom he was conversing
the other day.
"That depends" was the reply. "After
they have been with you for three or four
years they generally know as much about
tho engine as anyone. But some OF them
are careless. They know they will not
be held responsible, and some of them
doa't care what thsy do"
DISTINCTIONS ON MIR TRbGK.
"Wnat is the worst animal obstruction
the track2"
"Oh, hog, by all means; with any
animal that stands up on long legs there
is no danger, for the pilot clears that al
right, but hog is 80 low and fat that "a
locomotive is apt to mount II"
500 tho engineers believe in premoni
sions or fate2"
"Some of them believe In signs, i
that's what you mean, and some don't
You might think you would have an ac
cident for hundred times, and yot
might not have one. l guess most o
them have on idea that sometimes sign
come true. We always notice one thing
and that is that accidents on the roac
come three in bunch. 1t always rum
so, and the boys count ON it,"
There arc living In Brooklyn to'da.
perhaps fifty men who have left the cal
of the locomotive for some other employ
ment, and in some cases the reasons fo
leaving are curious enough. tits hard t.
find drinker who will admit that liquo
hurts him, or user of the weed who will
agree with the doctors that excessive
nicotine slowly and surely is shatterinl
his nervous system. And it is harde
still to find an engine driver who admit
that long hours, ceaseless vigils and rougl
riding have weakened his nerves or affect
ed his courage.
"He was an excellent man for years,
said depot official as he pointed to re
, tired engineer lounging around the Penr
sysvania depot; "but the time came whe
he saw phantoms, and we had to retii
him."
"Phantoms2"
"Yes. They8eeemed realities to hin
, of course. In the last year of his run
was on his train one night, when h
stopped twice in twelve miles for ocstruC
tions on the track, and yet there waan
30 much az straw on the rails. Anothe
night he stopped dead still at the end {
bridge, believing the atruoture gon'
and toward the last began u,oking II
corpses at the cross ros,',
'Do all the ens,'. '.noers become afrecte
this wayq'
mo. There are men on the roa,
here who are as good to-day as they wer
wen they entered the cab fifteen G
twenty years ago. 1t depends upon tn
temperament. The constant vigilanc
and burden of responsibility are a terri
BILE worry to some and no burden at al
to others. The motion of an erxine alon,
would break down some mon. The engi
neer who takes out the Pacific expree
tonight grows Tat over his hard work
and twenty yearu' service would no
break him down. His predecessor broke
down and died before he had been six
years at tho throttle.
An old engineer, when Questioned by
the writer as to his feeling on the track,
said: 'The public, taking them collect
ively, think that the engineer is hard
hearted wretch, and he thinks no more
OF running over human body than he
does of killing COW ar q hog. I've heard
people say that we become hardened to it
and don't mind it bit, but that's mis-
take and very grave one. | remember
killing man some five years ago, and I
know that couldn't sleep for month
after, except by fits and starts. I used to
have the most horrible nightmare that
ever worried mortal man. One night
had horrible dream. My wife woke
me up. had my hand on the footrail of
tho bed, just as ii had hold of the
throttle, and beads of perspiration were
standing out all over my face. NY wife
told me how had yelled, 'For Gods
sake jump! and how II had awakened her
and then she sprang out of bed shaking
with fear, and whom she shook me and l
realized where was, / told her of my
dream. It's mean thing to accuse us OF
not mindiDg killing people," said the
engineer, rs no took his oil can and
started to oil his engine.
Another engineer told the writer that
he knew of q few instances in which
engineer had gone crazy with killing peo-
pie with their engines. 81 know poor
fellow" said he, "who was on the New
JerSey Central. He killed women up
by Clifton one night and that night /
heard him tell the trainmaster, Billy
Smith, at Elizabeth, all about it, He
had queer look in his eye and seemed