Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-01-02
HERO OF THE RAIL.
Dangerous Duties Performed by the
Locomotive Engineer.

The locomotive engineer Is the popu-
Lar ''hero OF the rail-" and the popular
estimate in this respect is substantially
just Others have TO brave dangers
and perform duties under trying cir
cumstances, but the engine runner has
to ride IN the most dangerous part of
the train, take charge or a steam
boiler that may explode and blow him
TO atoms, and OF machinery that may
break and kill him and try to keep up
a vigilance which only a being more
than human could successfully main
tain. He must be tolerably sklllful
machlnist-he cannot be too good-and
have nerves that will remain steady
under the most trying circumstances.
If running fast express Though MD
night darkness over line where a SIM
liar train has been tipped of & pre-
cipice land brother runner killed. by
train wreckers the night before, he
must dash forward with the same Coz
tidence that he would feel in broad day
light on an open prairie. But he does
not ''heroically grasp the throttle in
the face OF danger, when the thTotle
has been already shut, mr. does he
whistle down brakes" In order to add
a stirring element TO the reporters tale,
when by the magic of the air brake he
can, with turn of his hand, apply
every brake IN the tram with the grip
of wise in less time than it would
take him to reach the whistle pull.
When there is danger ahead there is
generally Just one thing to do, and that
is TO stop as soon as possible. An in
stant sufiices for shutting off the steam
and applying the brake. With modern
trains this is all that is necessary or can
b.. s-sIIU- IsosvI sIDs S;.o onsino 10 iIeceS-
sary on many engines, and formerly
was on all; this would, in fact, be done
instinctively by cd runners, In any
case, but this also is done in a second.
After taking these measures there is
nothing for the engineman to do but
look out for his own safety. In some
circumstances,a as in the case of a partially
burned bridge which may possibly sup
port the train even in a weakened con-
dition, it may be best TO put on ali
steam. The runner Is then IN a
dilemma, and a right decision is a
matter of momentary inspiration.
Many lives have been saved by quick
wltted runners in such cases, but there
is no ground for censure of the en-
gineeT, who, IN the excitement of the
moment, decides to slacken instead of
quicken his speed. The rare cases of
this kind are what show the value OF
experlen :e, and of men lof the right
| temperament and degree of intelligence
TO acquire experience lessons readily.
PROBABILITIES OF ACCIDENT.
But the terrible cloud constantly
hanging over the engineer and fireman
of fast train is the chance encounter
ing AN obstacle which cannot possibly
be avoided, and which leaves them no
alternative but TO jump for their lives,
| If indeed it does not take away even
that. To the fact that this cloud Is no
larger than it is, and that these men
have sturdy aud courageous natures
must be attributed tho lIghtness with
which il rests upon them. On one
road or another. from a washout, or
| Inefficient management, or collision
/ caused by an operators forgetfulness,
or some one OF 4 score of other causes,
| there are constantly occurring cases of
men he-oically meeting death under the
most heartrending circumstances.
| Every month records a number of such,
though happily they are not frequent
on any one road
On the best of roads freight train
wrecked by a broken wheel under a
| borrowed car may be throwe In the
path OF q passenger train on another
/ track Just as the latter approaches,
This has happened more taan oncs
lately. No amount of fidelity OF fore
thought Except in the maker of tn
wheels) can prevent this kind of disas-
ter. There IS constant danger on most
roads of running off the track at mis-
placed switches, many switches being
located at points where the runner car
see them only few seconds before ht
is upon them; but the chance is 81
small-perhaps one In ten or a hundred
thousand-that the average runner tor
gets 1t, and it Is only by severe sell
discipline that he can hold himself ~
to compliance with the rule which re
quires him to be on the watch FOL
every switch target as long before
reaching II as he possibly can. HI
finds the switches all right and tE,
road perfectly clear SO regularly, da,
after day and month after month, tina
he may easily fall into the snare o
thinking that they will always be so
But, like other trainmen, the engine
man finds enough more agreeabl'
thoughts to fill his mind, and reflects
upon the hazards of his vocation per-
haps too little