Evening journal., 1888-11-15
THE FREIGHT BRAKEMAN.
DisheeEEfeLe FEATURES or rrs
WORK IN STORMY WEATHER.

WORK IN STORMY WEATHER.
The Difficulties of Handling Train on
Steep Grades-1wenty Degrees Below
zero-BralSing in a storm OF Rain, sleet
or Snow.
The disagreeahe features Of a freight
brakeman's life are chiefly those depending
upon the weather. If he could perform his
duties in southern California or Florida in
winter, and in the northern States in sum
mer his lot would ordinarily be a bapnv
one though tho annoyance Of tramps is ii.
most universal in mild climates. and in n,an,
cases takes tho shape of positive dancer
These yagabonds persist in riding on on IN
the cars, while tho faithful trainman must
according 70 his instructions, keep them or
In some sections of the country they win
board train in gangs Of dozen, armed
with pistols, and dictate where tho train shall
carry them
The hardships Of cold and stormy weather
are serious, both because of the test Of en-
DURANGO involved and the added difficulties
IA handling train. The Westinghouse an
tomato air brake, which has served So al
mrably on passenger trains for the last m
and cheapened so as to make it available Ear
long freight trains, but it is now 50 per
fected That IN a few years the brakeman
who now has to ride Oh the outside Of ca,-s i,
freezing condition for an hour at n lime
viii be privileged to sit comfortably In liz
caboose while the speed Of the train il GOV.
erned by The engineer through the nstanta-
neons action Of the air brake On tho steep
roads Of the Rocky mountains, and few
other lines, this brake is already in use
"BRAKING BY HAND.n
But "braking by handn is still the rule. In
running on ascending grades Or at slow
speeds the brakemen can ride under cover.
but IN descending grades, or on levels when
the speed is high, they must be on the tons
OF the cars ready 10 instantly apply the
brakes Tor the reason that there arc gene,
rally only three or four men to a long train
weighing from 800 to GOO tons. whose mo
mentum cannot be arrested very quickly. In
descending steep grades only the most con.
slant and skillful care prevents the train
from rushing at breakneck speed to tho foot
Of the incline, or to curve, where It would
be precpitated over an ombanlsmeut and
crushed to splinters
AS soon as the whole ira in has got bevond
the summit, and the speed is reduced to
proper rate by the application of tho brakes
on, say, one-third or one-half the cars. il win
perhaps be found that one or two brakes too
many have been put on, and that the train is
running too slowly. Some of them lnpst
then be oosened Or perhaps some are Set
50 tightly that the friction heats tho wheels
unduly or causes them to slide along the
track instead Of rolling; then those brakes
must DO Released and some ON other cars M |
Piled instead; and all this must be- done
sometimes for an hour when the tempera-
ture Is 20 degs. below zero, on the wind Is |
blowing gale, just as under more favorable
circumstances
AN UNPLEASANT SITUATION.
train moving at twenty miles an hour
AGAINST wind with velocity Of thirty |
miles increases the latter to fifty, so far as
the brakeman is concerned and If rain or
sleet is falling the force Of it on iii hands |
and face is very severe Ii we add 10 This |
inc danger attendant upon stepping from one
car 70 another over a gap Of twenty-seven to
thirty inches in dark night. when tho cars
are constantly moving up and down on their
springs and are swaying to one side or the
other every few seconds, we get some idea Of
though we cannot realize, the sensations
that must at such times I'll the minds Of the
men whose pleasant berth seems so ENJOYABLE
on mild summers day.
And this is not an overdrawn picture or
the worst that might DO given; for rain and
snow combined ofton coat the roofs OF cars so
completely and solidly that they arc worse
Than the smoothest skating pond, and NOV
ng upon them is attended with danger at
very step Jumping-it cannot DO called
one car to another is in such
'ases positively reckless. The braro appar-
ltus will IN a snow storm be coated with ice
30 rapidly that vigorous action is required to
Keep It in working condition Even wind
alone, in dry weather, sometimes compels the
men TO crawl from one car to another. grasp
ng such projections as they may. The
brakeman who forgets to take his rubber
'oat and overalls sometimes suffers severely
rom sudden changes Of temperature. In
pring or fall a lively shower will be oncoun-
cred in sheltered valley and the clothing
will be completely drenched, and then within
lcrhaps half an hour tho ascent Of a few
hundred feet brings the train into an atmos-
lhere few degrees below the freezing POINT.
% that with the aid of the wind, famed bv
he speed OF the train, the clothes are very
DON frozen stif.-B b. Adams, Jr.. in
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