The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-11-01
THE FREIGHT CAR.
n It Could Talk II Cesid Tell leaay q.
torssainG Stories.

THE FREIGHT CAR. ~
u Z. Could Talk Il Cesid Toll Many n.
tersstins steriss
There is something romantic about
q freight car, although you might
hardly think t. To an observant
mind, the long lines Of box and fat
cars lying congenially on the side
track of some great railroad, With
their letters OF introduction pinned on
their breasts, az Il were, In the shape
of moreor less artistic lettering, arc full
Of curioussuggestions. Hero and there,
too, will bo seen cars in isolated posi.
tons, seemingly reaching out for
sympathy in their temporary loneli.
ness. Cars from the north, south,
east and west; cars from the great
Trunk lines; cars with signs telling
whom it may concern that they belong
TO the army Of freight cars that rum.
bic busily to and fro on the "Sunset
Route" or tho 800 line" or tho ro-
mantle and rugged canadian Pa.
cific." Here will be a battered and
weather worn chr from the great west,
hands, with on iron grip. with a
Maine Central, or q blue nose car, If .
car from tho country Of our loyal
neighbors can DO given the same name
Us tho inhabitants. There are rcd,
blue, white, brown and crushed
strawberry freight cara, and parti
colored freight cars-harlequins Of
their respective roads.
A freight car is an innocent looking
affair. II looks as though it was work.
cd too hard to have life enough for
anything else, and yet a freight car
sometimes goes of on a tangent So
frequent, indeed, is this weakness on
the part Of the freight car that a man
called a ''tlacer" is constantly employ.
ell by all railroad lines to hunt them
bniess "":AA gar tthem aRaoAthse ifs 6 6aRs;:
thing about tho pcculiarities of o
freight car. He knows something about
a freight cars romantic longing to be
out and away. Agenial gentleman Of
Boston, a former car tracer, said the
other day in conversation with the
writer, that he had been all over the
country after recreant cars of the
freight persuasion, and that he had
known instances Of a car being lost
for three years, and finally turning
up unexpectedly, like q sort of rail.
road proligal son, ready to be for
given. The person whose duty it il
to ferret out, or over, or up the truant
cars llas his hands full. Telegraph,
telephone and the mail are all in.
vokeJ, and il these fail, he goes per-
sonally and acts the part Of q freight
car detective.
If a car could observe, and then
speak, it would have much to tell.
Tho unimportant, dusty, greasy look
ing cars that huddle by wharf and
stoleliouse, and between immense red
walls in sitting air, have seen the
Little Juanita cleaning in the moon.
light, pensively, or the slumberous
Niagara drop ,rockward and bedew the
night They have seen, or would
have, could they have observed, the
rock heights and the moist depths Of
the rugged and wild country through
which the Canadian Pacific threads
its way. In fact, the scenes business
like and vicious looking freight car
has passed through would furnish
sketches by pen and pencil for the
worlds press in limitless series of
articles.
Besides its more prosaio Office, the
freight car is the drawing room. the
sleeping car and the buffet, to q Ger.
tain extent, Of the gentry in rags and
tatters. He, the member Of the tat.
tered gentry in question, hangs to the
inside or the outside of the freight car,
and, If he is not suffocated or other.
wise annulled in the former position,
he is quite likely to let 60 his hold in
the latter and the next section man
that comes along finds the maugled
and last remains of some grievous
"hcro Of tho late civil war" The
risks tho tramp takes in appropriatinR
and almost any casualty occur
ring to any train contains the name
of some wretch, ito fortune and to
fa,ne unknown" who left for his
l2ne .heeneu NaAJdAh" freight f, ttssain,
riding is to stand with each foot
planted on the two COUNTERS" Of
the car, and thus they measure out
mile after milo, in o sort Of paralyzed
pair-of-dividers style, instead Of fol-
lowing out tho comforting suggestion
to pedestrians-''one step and then an.
other, and tho longest walk is ended. !"
A good, strong, modern freight car
is worth $500. Some are valued at $3.50
and $3.50. The cars used to he 20 feet
long, but now they areusually 80 feet,
and there is a movement to secure 50
feet cars for lumber, etc.
TO conclude, did you ever think Of
how thinks inanimate arc often in.
vested with almost human attributes7
So it is with freight cars, as with
many other things Of much interest
and more worthy Of attention. Freight
cars are moro worthy Of notice than
passenger cars, on account of their
very ronghness and battered condi-
ton, and their unostentatious freight
yard retirement. So it is in higher
matters, and when we have to deal
will, humanity. The least display
often hides tho most worth; and 90.
as i'll other lines of conduct also, q Ger.
tain beneficial lesson may be drawn
from the wandering freight car
Somcrville Journal.
llo,,,eseio RArvara