Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-01-22
THE ENGINEERS STORY.
His Thrilling Experience on the
Track Under Fire-Box.

The following is translation of /.
story by the late Baron NJ. NJ. Vol
Weber, who in his preparation for hi
profession as an engineer served for {
year on a locomotive:
It was New Years eve in the loco
motive engineers room at the engine
house in the German town of Birglitz
An old locomotive engineer, retired 81
a pension, was brewing bowl of punch
at the table, which in honor of the New
Year was spread with clean cloth
In from the cold, snowy air entered {
number of locomotive runners wrapped
up to their eyes, covered with snow
pulling and stamping.
bad weather for running this New
Years." said the new corners, shaking
off the snow and stripping off over.
coats, wraps, jackets, caps and over.
shoes.
Little do you know. nowadays, OF
bad weather for running an engine; in
the glass parlors that the companies
have built over your foot-boards, on
engines that rock you on their springs
as a nurse rocks child in its arms.
You ought to have stood with me about
1889 and 1910 on the little engines that
ran so hard and pitched so that you
felt every rail JOINT from sole to crown,
and that couldn't stir when the snow
was ankle deep over the rails. And
there we stood night and day, with no
sign of shelter except our overcoats
and fllrs, through December storms and
July heats, and in hail storms. That
was tough work! What do you know
about itp And for that matter, what is
Your hardest work compared to what
Hennig has had to go through to-day to
finish up his year, in standing his eX-
animation for locomotive engineer. In
the open air the engine God is with us;
but. in the school-room, there is the
Devil, But here comes the boy that has
been running the gauntlet. Hurrah for
him.
Six hoarse voices repeated the well
come, and six right hands were
stretched toward the young man in his
black SUNDAY suit, with blushing, open
countenance, and with that clear. far
gaze in his blue eyes which is peculiar
to sailors ard locomotive engineers,
who entered, somewhat hesitatingly,
and answered their greeting.
Nov how did you get through? Did
they make it hot for you? Did the mas
ter mechanic try your eyes?'
Lets sit down and have our
punch" said the engineers, as they
gathered round him.
..Keep still now, said Zimmerman,
the old retired engineer. You shall
have no punch until Hornig and Frank
come in with the freight train. The
telerrapher told me it was twenty min
utes behind time, and it must have got
here by this time.
..Well," said the young candidate,
wiping off the sweat which the bare
recollection of his experience caused to
stand on his brow, ''they tortured me
fearfully. I was examined according
to the new regulations. A row of gen.
tlemen rod long sat around me. not
one of whom, except our Master Me
chanic, had ever seen on a locomotive
or in shop. And our foremen were
not the worst ones. They questioned
me very sharply, to be sure, but you
could understand them and give them
sensible answers But didn't under
stand more than half of what the other
examiners-learned men in high posi-
tions-asked me- They didn't talk
railroad language, and what they
wanted to know 1 had only learned out
of the books the foreman had lent me,
Just for the purpose of passing the ex-
animation. never had come across
them in practice and had never used
them, and probably never viii as long
as Z live
land what were thcyP" comrade
began to ask, lighting cigar, when
the door of the room suddenly opened