The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-20
THE FREIGHT BRAKEMAN.
OlSAGREEABlE FEATURES or HIS
WORK IN STORMY WEATHER.

OlSAGREEABlE FEATURES or HIS
WORK IN STORMY WEATHER.
The Difficulties OF Handling n Train on
steep crades-Tweniy Degrees Below
Zero Brakine In Storm Of Rain. sicet
or Snow.
The disagreeable features Of a freight
brakeman's life are chiefly those depending
up-n the weather. II he could perform his
duties IN southern Cal f0-nia or Florida in
winter, and IN tue northern States in sum.
mer, his lot would ordinarily be a happy
one, though the annoyance OF tramrs is al
most universal in mild climates. and in many
cases takes the shape Of positive danger
These vagabonds persist in riding on or in
the cars, while the faithful trainman must
according 10 his instructions, keep them or
In some sections II the country they will
board n train in gangs Of dozen. armed
with pistols and dictate where the train shall
carry them
The hardships Of cold and stormy weather
are serious, both because Of the test Of en-.
durance involved and the added difficulties
M handling train The Westinghouse au-
tomato air brake, which has served so adj
mlrably on passenger trains for the last If
teen years, has only recently been adapted
and cheapened so as 70 make 10 available for
long freight trains, but 10 is now so per.
fccied TINT in a few years tho brakeman
who now has % ride on tine outside Of cars ia
"a freezing condition for an hour at a time
viii be privileged 20 SO comfortably IN his
caboOso While the speed Of tho train is gov
crned By tine engineer through the instauta-
ncous action of the air brake On the steep
roads Of The Rocky mountains and a few
other lines, this bidko is already M use.
"BRAKiyG rs HAND
But" hrakiug by hand isstill tho rule In
running ON ascending grades on at slow
speeds tie hrakomon can ride under cover.
but boa descending grades, or ON levels when
the speed is hlgb. they must he Oh the tops
of the cars ready 10 instantly apply the
brakes for the reason that there are gene
rally only three or four men 20 long train
weighing from 500 to 1900 tons. whose mo
mentum cannot bo arrested very quickly. in
descending steep grades only the most con-
slant and skiiifui care prevents the train
from rushing at breakneck speed TO the foot
Of the incline, or 20 a curve, where IL would
be precpitatcd over an embankment and
crushed 10 splinters
As soon a. the whole ira ia has got beyond
the summit. and the speed is reduced 30
proper rate by the application OF the brakes
on, say, one-third or one-half the cars, it will
perhaps be found that one or two brakes too
many have been put on, md that the train is
running too slowly. Some of them must
then be loosened Or perhaps some arc set
so tightly that the friction heats tine wheels
unduly or causes them TO slide along the
track instead of rolling. then those brakes
must he released and some ON other cars APP
Piled instead; and all this must be done !
lsometimcs for an hour when the tempcra- |
turc is 20 decs. below zero, or tic wind is |
blowing gale just as under more favorable |
circumstances
AN UNPLEASANT SITUATION.
a train moving at twenty miles an hour
against a wind with velocity Of thirty |
miles increases the latter to fifty, so far as
the brakeman is concerned. and if rain on !
sloet is falling the force Of il on his bands !
and face is very severe II we add to this !
the danger attendant upon stepping from one /
car 90 another over a gap of tweuty-seven TO |
thirty inches IN "a dark night, when the cars /
are constantly moving up and down on their
springs and are swayng 20 one side or the |
other every few seconds, we get some idea OF,
though We cannot realize. the sensations |
that must az such times fl the minds Of the
men whose pleasant berth seems So enjoyable |
ON mild summers day
And this Is mot an overdravn picture or
the worst that might he given; for rain and [
SNOW combined often coat the roofs of cars SO
completely and soldy that they are worse
than the smoothest skating pond, and moy-
ing upon them D. attended with danger at
every step. jumpiug-it cannot Doe called /
walking from ono car To- another is IN such
cases positively reckless. The brake appar
atus viii IN a snow storm Doe coated with ice
so rapidly that vigorous action B, required 90
Keep % "a working condition Even a wind
alone, i'm dry weather, sometimes compels the
men 20 crawl from one car TO auothcr, grasp
ing such projections as they may. The
brakeman who ior9ets 90 take bis rubber
coat and overalls sometimes suffers severely
from sudden change, of temperature In
spriug or fali q lively shower vii be- encoun-
tered m sheltered valley and tie clothing
Will bee completely drcuched and then within
perhaps half AN hour Che ascent of % few
hundred feet brings the train into am atmos-
phcre d few degrees below thc freezing po'ut,
SO that with the aid of the wind, famed by
the speed OF the train, tine clothes arc very
soon frozen atn.-B Il. Adams, Jr, in
Scrbncr's Magazine.
TondIines and Their Parents.
. a..