The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-28
LIFE ON THE RAIL.
Men Who Yearn for Dead Mems Shoes-Dan-
gers of Brakeman's Calling.


a rusty blue peajacket. and blue flannel shirt,
ran up the stairs three steps at time, leading
tc the Office of railroad official in Jersey City
Entering the Office he took off his cap and. as
soon as he could get his breath, addressed the
Officer
Il want to leave my name for the job o brakin'
on freight train 3d. said he. Jimmy Rileys
out of it. He jist got cut in two up in the yard
The train was comm in l., purity fast, and the
for brakes, and Jimmy started to run over the
top o the train. He slipped and fell betwixt
two cars. He lit on the bumper and grabbed
to save himself, but couldn't ketch nothin'.
and dropped onto the rail Both trucks
went over him. Me and another Teller was there,
and we started for here as fast we could git to
ask for Jinmy's place. i got here first, and I'd
like the job first rate il you kin give it to me,
sir"
The railroad official promised to hold the APP
plication for consideration, and the man went out
evidently we'll pleased.
There is no calling said the official to a Sun
reporter, 80 beset with danger and hardships
as that of railroad brakeman, especially on a
freight coal train; and yet, if there should be
fifty brakemen killed on this or any other road
to-day there would be a dozen applicants
for each mans place as soon as the news
OF his death became known. The man
who was just here was an eye witness of Riley's
frightful death, and yet whatever impression it
made upon him was lost in the fact that the dead
man had left place to be filled by some one
else. This prompted him to act at once. and he
lost not a second in securing all the advantage
priority might give him.
Every railroad has a small army of these
anxious applicants for chances to step into dead
mems shoes hanging about its yards and stations.
They are principally men who have followed
railroadine all their lives, and who have in
some way lost their positions You see
railroadine is good deal like politics. If man
gets into it once he isn't worth snap for any
thing else, and so if he gets out of it he is per-
petually on the lookout for the opportunity that
he believes must come for him to get in again.
There isn't one of the men l refer to who
does not feel a genuine sorrow when a rail
road man is killed, and not one of them would
hesitate to risk his own life to save that OF any
train man in danger although he might know
that the death of that man would place
him in the best position he could hope to ever
fill yet they haunt the tracks and station yards
day after day. watching the switching and the
coming and going of trains, knowing that some
one of those train hands is bound to be killed
now and then. 1t seems there were only two of
those men near to witness the shocking fate of
Riley, and when others hear Of it, and that an
application for Riley's place was put in hour
or so ahead of them, they will bemoan the hard
luck that kept them from being present when
the accident occurred, and robbed them of an
equal chance in reaching my ear first. No, it
isn't likely that the enterpriSing young man
who was here will be hired, although he may
If he isn't hired it will not break his faith nor
having early intelligence of fatal accidents to
train men, and of being early in my Office with
the news and an application, or if the accident
occurs at a distance, at the Office of the one in
authority there"
The reporter walked through the railroad
yard and to the spot where Jimmy Riley was
killed. The poor fellows remains had been
taken away. A grimy onearmed switch tender
pointed out where the brakeman fell on the rail,
and explained how it all happened.
q Caid hn
switchman. Jimmy makes four, so far--three
of EN- was jst like him, and t'other was fiat
tened 'twixt the bumpers I couldn't tell ye
how many's been ketched up along the line
but I've been noticin' that there's q good
many strange brakemen on some O. the trains
There's five fellers in three gangs alone that |
don't know hant had the heart to ask where
the old hands is, for l spose I'd be told that this
un had been knocked off his car by bridge, and
that one had missed coupln and gothic bump
ers and that another one had slipped from the
roof, and so on. 1t may be, though, that some
OF ems only laid up with a few fingers off, an
arm twisted out OF the socket, a foot run over
and smashed, or some little thing like that l
hope anyhow.
'What makes brakin' so dangerous9 Well.
there's a. good many things . For instance,
there's couplin'. That's dangerous from New
Years till next New Years. every day in tho
year, and year in and year out. Jest now the
ice on the cars is dangerous. 1t amt an easy
thing for man to run along the tops of cars
that's goin twenty miles an hour, even when
there amt no ice on the boards, and tie wind
amt bowin' But when you take it like it's
been for week or so, with the roofs like glass,
and the wind tearin' along faster yit than the
train does, want ye to know that there's got to
be nerve in man for him to climb up to the top
of car and skip over EN- every time the engin-
eer whistles for brakes Then mind We. a
brakeman hant got no right to ride anywhere
but on his car no matter if the snow is snowin
on him by the ton, or rain and hail peltin' him
like hot shot, or wind a knockin' against
him so that hos got to hold fast to
blowed away. Consequently he's apt. in the
night, to run his head against some bridge that
crosses the track, and be strewed along the track
for half mile or so. Coupn bein' always
with the brakeman, is what carries the most of
em away. l used to be a freight brakeman my
self, and one day stepped between the cars to
couple EN-, an had two as good arms rs any body
had. When come to my right arm was gone.
The bumpers took it. Yes, sir, these link and
pin couplers is what chaws up the brakemen,
and although there's safety couplers by the
dozen, they're little expensive, and railroads
won't use EN- until there's law compellin' 'em
to notice that 5rakemen's fingers, arms and legs
and lives is worth something too. 1t looks like
a simple thing for q man to step between two
cars and drop pin into the link of tho coupler,
and then step out again, but every
brakeman knows that just for havin
to do that he has to pay six times as
. 1Cucn TOT lnSurlnS MS llIe Tor SlUUu as the man
that sits in his Office and makes out way bills
does. Brake-chains is apt to part, too, when the
brakeman is twistin' up his wheel for all its
worth, and away goes the brakeman to the
ground every time, and if he don't git in under
the wheels he's apt to get his head, or his legs,
or something broke by the fall, anyway.
Take any gang of brakemen that comes
into this yard, and you can't find one
that's got whole brakeman in it, He'll have
finger or two missin' a few toes off, or big
chunk of flesh gone from somewhere about him
don't mean passenger brakemen. They're no
account. They haint no better than porters
since the air brakes was put on. mean freight
and coal brakenen. They're the boys that's got
the nerve and know how to use it. Darn tho
luck. If only had my arm back again, We kin
bet yer life I'd be one Of EN-, and don't ye forget
it!'
A Sailors Description of His Bride
A member Of the Seamen's Association. lately
married is reDOrtcd to have Civen RI bis com