The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-08
TRUSTING TO LUCK.
A withdrawing That Should be Exor
clsed Once and Forever.

A vIn-o':the-wisp That Should be Exor-
cised Once and Forever.
There seems to be an increasing
tendency in our day and generation to
trust to luck" and there would be
many more serious disasters as result
of this bad practice were it not for the
fact that science furnishes us with
many valuable safeguards. The en-
gineer in charge of an express train,
rushing at lightning speed along the
iron road in darkest night, amid war
ring elements or binding fog, trusts
to luck" he must make his run within
a given time or disarrange the whole
system, and, with hand on throttle,
nerves strained to the utmost tension,
and eyes vainly endeavoring to pierce
the darkness, he does his duty blindly,
trusting that 9th ers are doing theirs,
and takes chances as far as the unex-
pected is concerned. Unfortunately,
it is the unexpected that often happens.
Another instance: Far out at sea,
making u gallant fight against gloom
and tempest, shrouded in binding rain
or driving snow, or blanketed with
mist, a big steamship plows through
the crested mountains of water. The
lookout ahead, REINFORCED for the oc-
casion, the masthead Waterman, the
man on the bridge, can know nothing
of what dangers may face them. and it
is just possible that while trusting to
their feeling of security another NOM
ster like their own may be bearing
swiftly down on them, a sailing vessel
may be nearing their track, or lurh-
ing derelict drifting across their path.
But they are expected in port on GER
tain day; their vessel has a reputation
for speed upon which the prestige of
a line is founded, so on they plunge,
trusting to luck, until their trust is
found to be vain.
The engineer in charge of a working
steam plant often does too much crust
ing to luck" for his own or others
safety. He knows his boiler is old or
rotten, that seams leak, that sheets or
tubes are corroded or burned beyond
the point of safety, that he is carrying
more steam than he should, that the
water is low and feed water might
prove dangerous, but he trusts to luck.
His fires are made up. the pointer
travels merrily round the steam-gauge
dial. a few pounds more are put on the
safety-valve, or the pump is started to
feed, hoping that it will be all right.
And SO it may be, nine times out Of
ten. On the tenth "lucl1" changes,
and the explosion. with all its harrow
ing details, goes on the record.
There is no such thing as luck in any
of the above misunderstanding but u
logical sequence of cause and effect.
When the train strikes misplaced
switch, a washout or an obstruction
there will be smash-up; tho first
serious obstacle the ocean racer en-
counters is likely to transform it into a
sorry wreck, if not to send it to the
bottom, and the moment boiler is eX-
posed to an ounce more strain than it's
weakest part will support it gives way.
The only trick worth trusting to is the
result Of unremitting care. 1t may be
necessary for us to assume risks some
times, but there is no such thing as
''lucll" about them. and the safe side
is invariably the side to be on, even if
it takes a little trouble to get there. II
is the side on which we shall always
find the prudent and really skillful
man, whose experience impresses him
with the dangers that attend reckless
ness. If the element of 'lucl1" were
eliminated there would not be half the
disasters there are, and human misery
would be greatly mitigated could we
once and forever exercise this will-o'-
the wisp.-Safety Valve.