Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-02
GREEN CONDUCTORS.
How They Make a Gripman's Life
Miserable by Ignorance of Rules,
STOPPING AT WRONG CROSSINGS.
Gripmen From the Fifth Avenue Line
Going to the Central.
TRIBULLTIOES OF STREET CAR MEN

'Yes, :" said gripman on one of the Fifth
avenue cable cars yesterday, eff that
"greenie' on the hind end of the car isn't
fired I'm going to kick. It's pretty near
time they were getting experienced men on
this line. Most of the old fellows are leav-
ing for some cause or other. Many of them
are looking for jobs on the Wylie avenue
line, which they say will be running within
a couple of MONTHS
''What is the matter with the 'greenie?'"
oueried THE DISPATCH man, as his eye
followed the wording OF the sign prohibiting
passengers from talking to the gripman.
We'll" said the latter, "that fellow is
an extra. He has only bzen running a
couple of days. and wants somebody to tell
him the rules. He wants to stop at every
possible place along the road and let pas
sengers of. The rule is to stop only at the
opposite corners of cross streets, but great
many green conductors want to stop between
squales. Very often alter leaving corner
and as l am just getting a good grip on the
cable, the bell will be pulled, and 1 am sup
posed to stop. If do not do so there is a
row between the passenger and conductor,
and the latter tries to have it out with the
gripman.
THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE WEARY.
''It is very Iiresome also to have the bell
pulled to stop Just as a car is passing
cross street. If it is on a down grade and
the rails are slippery 1 almost diSlocate my
limbs trying to stop the rear end of the car
at the crossing. 1t is very seldom
that this can be done even with the
use of sand on the track. The sand causes
the wheels to get grip" on the rails, but
IL, el, he
before can come to a stop. In order to
stop at the crossing conductor should pull
the bell rope about ten car lengths from the
corner of the street where ne wants TO stop.
'Some of these new conductors have a
funny idea about the use of the bell cold.
When running one tap of the bell means to
stop. Two taps is to go ahead, Three is
signal seldom heard in this CITY. 1t means
to stop instantly, no matter where you are
at the time. The signal is only used in case
of accident, but it is seldom required Four
taps of the bell means to go ahead, and make
no stops to pick up passengers. This is
used when one car gets behind time, and
another is following it close. The car be-
hind is creeping up now, but the greene
does not see it. If We are called down for
rnnn1ng on the other cars time, the
'greenie' will have to stand the racket A
few more complaints and he will be fired
A GRIPMAN'S DODGE.
''It used to be a common thing to get con-
ductor in bad repuue with the officials to
fall behind to pick up their passengers.
This was before the company got so strict
about making schedule time. If we wanted
to get 8 conductor of, we would get the
gripman on the car ahead of him to fall be-
hind so close that he would pick up the
others passengers. At the end of the day
there would be great difference in the re-
ceipts of the odorous conductor and the
others The receipts of each car will aver
age about the same, and when one falls away
below the others there is something wrong.
The company did not ask many questions,
but fired the man on the supposition that
he was PLAYING heads and tails with the bell
cord. In other words there was a supposi-
ton that he was knocking down. This was
more in vogue when we had an Assembly
of the knights of Labor on this line. The
union was broken up at the time of the
strike.
'No. not many of our gripmen are leav-
ing to go on the Wylie avenue line. That
will be hard road to 'grip" on. Most of
it is down hill and the road runs through a
good portion of the heart Of the city. 1
think accidents will be numerous unless
they get good, experienced men. On the
street, it will be extremely hard to stop a
car coming down in rainy weather. This is
too wearing on the muscles of the arm, and
1 think my job is bad enough without trad
ing it for worse one."