The Penn's Grove record., 1885-04-11

When the tirst railways In this c0un,
try were completed this question arose,
"WhO and where are the men cOmpe-
tent 20 take charge of them?" IL was a
difficult problem to solve, for no one
had, of course, any experience in the
new and novel mode Of travelling, fast
coming into general use. Under the
circumstances it was, perhaps, natural
that the engineers who built the roads
should be selected as their superintend-
ents. This was done In many instan-
ces, and not always to the benefit of the
stockholders. In some cases 1t was
soon made manifest that Il good civil
engineer and surveyor might be utterly
wanting in executive ability and BUSH
ness capacity-essential qualifications
required for the successful management
of a railway.
Some roads virtually made their presi-
dents superintendents of transportation,
giving them autocratic power over all
the various departments. machinery
included, and most of the roads suffered
greatly in consequence from misplaced
energy and ignorance. Ii is probable
that this evil existed in a greater degree
Al tAE fNtAANt II 1l1ANo ltioh 0O NhO
| North. The writer can well remember
many instances of their folly and-wbat
in these enlightened days would be
called-stupidity. One president Of a
6~rst-class Southern railway, hearing OF
the advantages derived from eight
wheeled freight cars, ordered Il of
extra length TO be built with twelve,
the extra wheels to be placed in the CEN
ter. As the car was made of wood, and
not of india rubber OF whaleoone, it of
course ran off the track at the first
curve it encountered.
But if the railways found it a difficult
task to secure competent men to super
intend them properly, it wal still harder
to obtain trustworthy engineers and
fireman, Their only chance was to take
machmists from the shop to act in the
former capacity. Many of them became,
in a few months, expert in performing
all the duties required of them. Most
of the locomotives in the Southern
States were built in England-of a
make and pattern utterly unsuited for
the crude, imperfectly constructed rail-
WAYS then in existence in that part of
of the country. They were more COM
| plicated than those OF the present day,
and much more liable to get out of order.
1t was not until about the year 1888
that the engines made by Norris, Bald
win and other eminent American build
ers put a stop to the English lmporta-
tions; their greater adaptability to II
railways. with their short curves and
heavy grades, only then being fully ac-
knowledged.
AS the railways rapidly increased, so
did the demand for skilled engineers, in
a still greater ratio. To meet this diff
Guilty some roads promoted their fire.
men, who, after a few weeks of expe-
rience as such, were made engineers,
commencing with freight trains only.
They received fully $40 per month less
than those who considered themselves
s'regulars" in the service, and who call
ed the new recruits ''corn-field" engln-
GERS. Nor was this appellation inappro-
priate-most of them being totally
uneducated. and much more capable of
blowing well than Of running a locomo-
tive, Flues We're burned out and brass
es and Journals ruined weekly-eYlls
results from caTelesSness and a lack or
intelligence. The writer has known OF
a passenger train being delayed for
hours simply because the newly promo
ted fireman did not know how to run
his engine with one cylinder, and OF
another train standing still all night in a
swamp in the sickly month Of Septem-
Der, the long delay being caused by the
slipping of the ~eccentrics on the axle
from the loosening of the set screws.
A hammer and a monkey wrench would
have set the train in motion in a few
minutes, provided the engineer had
known how and where to use them.