Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-03-08
A CAR DRIVERS TALK.
ONE OF THE MANY WHO ARE
STRANGERS AT HOME.

Doesn't Get Time to See His Children.
Story of a Busy Life-Hard on the Legs.
Benefits of Organization.
I'm driving in Brooklyn now, and I'll tell
you what the last tie-up done for US, speak
ing about organizing. Before that we used
to get five minutes for lunch, and the 'super"
told us we came there to work, and not to
eat; now we get forty minutes Then we
used to have to put the team away, and take
the collars off, when we came in at the end OF
the DAVIS work. and also get there half an
hour early and find our team, one in one end
of the stable and the other in the other end,
and harness 'em and bring em out to the car.
Now that's all done for us. And then we
used to have to wash our cars, and we used
to have to buy the bell for the off horse,
which cost Is cents. Well, that's all changed.
We don't do none Of those things now, and
get forty minutes for lunch besides. The
difference is this, that knew plenty Of fel-
lows that used to leave home, say at 3 in the
morning, and not get home again till after
at night, and then if another man was TOOK
sick you had to take his place, SO that I've
done three hours extra on top OF nay day and
got home at midnight and not seen soul OF
my family in thirty-eight hours many time,
without a cent extra pay. But there's no
more of that.
l get up about half past in the morning
and light the fire and crack the ice in the
pitcher, may be, and cook myself an egg or
two and some coffee, and if my wifes awake
slip in and whisper word with her without
waking the children, and then I'm on deck at
z o'clock l don't live near the stable on ac-
count of the bad neighborhood for bringing
up little ones, so l can't get home to my
lunch; but I've got four decent rooms and
decent people for neighbors above and below
me, and pay so month get 81 day
and work seven days, because l need all can
make give my wife all except twelve shll-
lings, which gets me my lunches and tobacco,
and she used to lay up dollar now and then,
but trat's all gone, and there's no laying up
now on account of her and me needing the
doctor. Well, get home at 8 at night and
take my loaf and read my paper till lO O'Clock,
with the bite of supper she saves over Tor me,
and then go to beo The only thing hard Is
my not seeing my children.
can truly thank God that my little Emma
knows me now, but up to years old she
street 6sXS me eba f2 and ReSdfd Re ddn e Believe eve
me when said that, but he believes me now.
This is how it was: was doing my fourteen
and sixteen hours work on the Third avenue
in New York. and had need of every cent
and a constitution like horse, so made
every day tell had been doing that till
little Emmie was years old, and then
INV leo began to trouble me- and one day !
had to Law off. Ieouldn't walk without help,
so Jack. my chum, got away and helped me
nd har
and Jack and me, each took chair, and
whispered to my wife so that the little girl
wouldn't hear me-
"Emmie, DEAR" says my wife, God bless
and keep her to me, lone of these gentlemen
is your father. Do you know which one 1t
is7n
"Ths is my papa" says she.
And then Jack believed what I'd been tell
ing him, for the little child walked right
over to him and climbed on his knee and put
UP her mouth for kiss. She had seen my
beard in the bed once in while, but Jacks
beard and mine were as like as two brooms,
and she chose the wrong one.
Well, in one way of looking at it, I'm
sorry to say that she knows me now quite as
child ought to. May be it's what they call
Providence, and the finger of God is in it,
but, anyhow, my legs is that bad now that
once in while ] have to lay off for day
and rest them by walking about and sitting
down-for when you get car drivers leg
on YOU it's a curious thing that walking is as
good for it (if you can stand the pain as sit
ting down. What do l mean by a drivers
leg? Well, you'll find many man at the
break has it in these three cities, where
they'll not let driver sit down, and in fact
all will get it sooner or later if they stick to
the business 1t comes of standing up so
many hours without the chance to walk
that a conductor has, up and down the car
collecting the fares One drivers legs will
be the size of telegraph poles, and another
one. like me, will get punches of veins as big
as your fist sticking out of his legs. There's
no cure except the almshouse or the potters
field, though l do find a great help in my
elastic stocking. I'm better man since
put it on.
All the talk about the torture man
feels when he first gets on car-well, it isn't
bosh, for you see young fellows give up their
Jobs every week on account OF the agony
they suffer-but it amt the first few day; it's
the whole life It's hard on the legs, and
they never get use to it. A young fellow
thinks if he's stranded and knows about
horses that he can be a driver. Well, he'll
find out it's more in the constitution of a man
than in knowing about horses. | wore out the
first pain in my legs in about three or four
days But then came the swollen veins.
Thev must come. It's the natural conse-
ouence Of the business. "Leave railroading,"
saws my doctor. Oh, it's easy to say it, but
when man is tied to a pair of car horses
and has a wife and family to support there's
no such thing as looking for other work. 1t
won't come to him, and how can he 60 to ita
But in the regards of that think am very
lucky, for my boy will be old enough to ap-
prentice to machinist Of my acquaintance
in another couple Of years, and after that
he'll chip in a little toward keeping the family
and I'll be able to lay off a day now and then.
I spoke about the almshouse and the
potter's field, but there's no such thing for
u.s. That's another old thing done away with
by means Of organizing. In our local we get
SIS a week when we are sick-which will pa
cifv the landlord and keep bite in the cup
board In case of death there's no provision,
but we make up a subscription and get
together $40 or $50, may be, which is
enough to leave the potter's field in the dis
tance; and the only cost to US OF keeping up the
local is thirty-fv cents month, SO that we
don't feel it very hard, though there's dozen
things crying for every cent that most OF Us
earn. Now, that's pretty much all can
think Of about driving car.-New York
Sun Interview.
The late Gen. Mckee Dunn left all his
fortune to his wife. His will was the shortest