Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-28

MEN OF RARE CoNSTANCY.
Notwithstanding all such possibilities,
the engineers of the Pittsburg and Allie
gheny planes are a brave, cool and staunch
set OF men. With the view of giving THE
DISPATCH as much of the truth as possible
about them, a short sojourn was made yes
terday at each of the stations. The follow
ing list shows the names and number of en-
gineers employed and their distribution. At
Duquesne incline are two men, w. Nc
Clintoek and L. Pawelson; at Mononga-
hela, three men, L. B. Hutton, I. Hawarth
and Abel Enscoe; at Castle Shannon, two
men, Adam Pfeff and c. Ours; at Mt.
Oliver, two men, c. Langenbach and Gott-
heb Killinger; at the Penn, two men, 1. 1.
Height and c. w. Rohm. In each in
stance one man is on duty in the day and
one at night
Mr. L. b. Hutton, of the Monongahela In
cline, was quite willing to talk, but very
10th to admit there is any better incline in
the city than his, and for this reason his
answers have more weight. He says he has
been II years in the incline business, and has
pretty well gotten over any feeling OF nerv-
business in handling the lever.
when l was green at the job, +" he said,
81 felt pretty queer-particularly by night;
but now nothing could shake my nerve. As
long as / keep my nerve the cars are safe;
unless. of course, the ropes break. Nothing
can save the load then"
SIS it fact, Mr.. Hutton, that there is
never more than one engineer at a time in
the box?'
Perfectly true. There couldn't be more
than one, as the companies only employ two
men altogether, and these have to take the
work in turns. Here we have three, but the
third man is exclusively for the freight
track"
Suppose, Mr.. Hutton, that you were
suddenly stricken bY heart disease or apo
plexy at your post, what would be the re-
sult?''
"Why, - smash, 1 guess" replied Mr..
Hutton; "but then, you know, there's no
fear of me in that direction"
Gould other engineers have heart dis
ease. or be subject to epileptic fits without
anyone knowing it?" was asked.
why, certainly they could. We have to
risk all that, was the calm reply of the i'm
perturbable engineer, as he hastened to
hoist half dozen human beings up the al
most perpendicular incline.
WITHOUT EXAMINATION.
The same story was told at all the other
inclines visited. 1t was learned in addition
that men applying for posts as incline en-
gineers have to pass no medical examination
whatever. On railroads and steamboats,
examinations are made to discover color
blindness. Why not in the other case tor
physical unsoundness? Fits of temporary
insanity might easily terrorize the situation.
Imagine for one moment the AWFUL proba-
bilities attending such a mistake! In the
mornings and evenings there are often a
score of passengers on the cars. What freak
would be more seductive to a lunatic than
70 allow such load to dash headlong down
the incline?
On annfhar ipolsna 900 af L.
engineers, a well-read, intelligent young
man, gave the interviewer a graphic ac-
count OF his sensations when levering up
the cars by night.
am by nature rather nervous, T" he said,
but like one of NapoIeon's marshals-I
forget his name now-I have used nv will
power as sort Of substitute for the nerve I
lack. My will has never failed me, but 1
often think of what would happen should it
play me false at last. Why, often in the
watches OF the night, 1 bend over TO watch
THE LIGHTS OF THE CAR
ascending through the darkness They are
coming fast enough, but to me they seem to
be crawling up;-sometimes / think they
Will never come. You can't imagine how I
long tor that car to touch the platform. Ny
very heart stands still as the lights come
near and can see the passengers sitting SO
calmly in their places. They don't know
the struggle that is going on over the lever.
and yet their lives depend on the favorable |
result of that struggle. / am getting more |
accustomed to the work now; but few |
weeks ago had to combat myself twice or |
three times night. In the daytime it is |
not SO bad;-the sunlight gives me courage.
think; but the night is awful 1 wish to |
heaven they would put two of us at the
levers instead of one. The corporation /
should not be stingy in 50 risky q matter as 1
this."