Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-01-01
-yse PASSENGER TRAIN CONDUCTOR.
- Most Exacting Position In the Ranks
of Railroad Employees.


- Most Exactins Position In the Ranks
of Railroad Employees.
The passenger train conductor has
- many respects the most difficult
POSITION in the railroad ranks. He
mould bea first class freight conductor
md q polished gentleman TO boot. But
IA his long apprenticeship on a freight
tain he has very likely been learning
Row not to fulfill the additional re
quirements ofa passenger conductor
ship. In that service he could be un-
eouth and ven boorish and still fill
his position tolerably well; now he
feels the need Of a life time Of tuition
N dealing with the diverse phases of
human nature met with on a passen-
ger train. He must 10 manage his
train i'm a sort of automatic way, for
he has his mind filled with the are of
his passengers and the collection OF
tickets. He must be good at figures,
keeping accounts, and handling
money, though the freight train SER
vice has given him no experience in
this line. Year by year the clerical
work connected with the taking up Of
tickets and collecting Of cash fares has
been increased until now on many
roads an expert bank clerk would be
none too proficient for the duties i'm
posed. The conductor who grum-
blingly averred hat 1T would take a
Philadelphia lawyer with three heads"
70 fill his shoes was not far out OF the
way.
Every day, and perhaps a number
of times a day, he must collect fares
of City or a hundred persons in less
time than he ought TO have for ten.
OF that large number a few will gen.
orally have a complaint TO make or an
objection TO offer or an impudent asserS
ton concerning n fault of the railroad
company which the conductor cannot
remedy and is not responsible for. A
woman will object to paying half fare
for a l0-year-old girl or TO paying full
rates for one of Is. A person whose
income is ten times larger than he de-
serves will argue twenty minutes TO
avoid paying 10 cents more Tin CASH
than he would have ben charged for
a ticket. Passengers with legitimate
questions TO ask will couch them in
vague and back handed terms, and
those with useless oaes will take mop
perfume times 70 PROFOUND them.
These are not occasional but every
day experiences. The very best and
most intelligent people in the COM
munity excepting those who travel
muchJ are among those who oftenest
leave their wits at home when they
take q railroad trip.
All these people must be met in a
eonciliatory manner, but without
varying the strict regulations in the
least degree. The officers of the reve-
nue. department are memorable mas
tiers, and passengers offended by
alleged uncivil treatment are likely to
make absurd complaints at the super
imtendent's Office. A conductor breads
an investigation of this sort, however
unreasonable the passengers com.
plants may be, because it may tend
10 show that he lacked tact in handling
the case. But after becoming habitu-
ated 10 this sort of dealings, there are
till left the occasional disturbances
which no amount Of philosophy can
make pleasant. These are the en-
counters with drunken end d~iSorderly
passengers. The conductor, starting
81 the forward end of his train, finds,
perhaps, in the first car one or two
'toughs" who refuse payment Of fare
and are spelling for a fight.
Care must be taken with this sort Of
character not to punish him or use the
least bit of unnecessary severity, for
he will, when sobered off, quite likely
be induced by a sharp lawyer 10 sue
the railroad company for damages by
assault The conductor, L5wever, if
he be one who has lin his freight train
experience) dealt with tramps is able
30 cope with his customer and contine
him to the baggage a or put him OF
the train. But a tussle of this kind is,
at best, far from soothing to the tenn
per, and the very next car may on
tain the wife of a millionaire, who will
expect the most genteel treatment and
critically object TO any behavior on
the part of the conductor which is not
fully up TO the highest drawing room
standard. Experiences of this kind, it
can be readily imagined, are exceed
ingly trying. The conductor cannot
give himself up completely TO learning
gentility, for he still has need for his
old severity.-B B. Adams, Jr., in
Scribner's Magazine.