The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-05
THE TRACK WALKER.
a Useful Though Not Pleasant
OCCUPATION.

New York Sun: Some of the old
railroad track walkers can boast of
records equal to that Of locomotives
in the point OF miles they have cover.
ed. Engineers sometimes claim that
they have ridden 200, 600 miles or so,
but the men who have walked that
tar are not often heard ot. Still there
are plenty OF them in the branch OF
the railroad service OF which the
track walker" belongs. They are
the safeguards OF travel. which the
public knows least about. They pre-
vent hundreds of accidents, but their
good deeds are rarely ifever rewarded,
as is the case with the faithful engin-
eer or fagman. And it is q peculiar
fact that there is no line oi promotion,
consequently no incentive to careful
work.
A Sun reporter got some IDEAS about
their duties from Thomas Sessnan,
now foreman OF a section of trsckmen
in the yard OF the Grand Central sta
ton. Sesnan had been employed on
the track work OF the Harlem railroad
for forty two years and is now looked
upon as q patriarch among the track.
men. He has had charge of q gang for
the last eighteen years; before that he
was a trackman himself. He says he
helped to lay the second track OF the
Harlem road in 1S4S, over which the
New Haven road first entered the city.
EVERY piece of railroad" he said,
is divided into sections OF from FIVE to
seven miles, IL 1t is single track, and
from three to four miles IL it is double.
a. fosemRn s.:sh sss-..sg al five or six
men keeps each section In order. All
but one are trackmen who are kept
busy making repairs. That oneis the
track walker who patrols tracks all
day long with an eye out Tor weak
points and obstructions which might
cause accidents. OF course there is q
second track walker at night who does
| the same work.
San experienced track walker can
tell loose bolt at glance. Some
times it will be caused by a broken
rail and he will see that the joints do
not fit. Generally loose joint will
be Indicated by q disturbance oil the
earth, causing a crevice bet the
sleeper and the rail. In this case the
track walker props the rail- with q
thin piece OF wood. which he must
carry in his outfit. Fish plates and
angle plates ars distributed along the
line, and the track walker sometimes
has to replace broken plates II there
isn't time for the section gang to come
up before q train Is due. In case OF q
bIoken rail or distractions which he
can't handle, the track walker puts
torpedoes on the tracks and uses
his red flag to warn pass
ING train. Then he leaves his
patrol and informs the foreman
and trackmau as soon as possible.
In emergency cases at night the track
walker wraps his red flag about the
lantern as a signal. Torpedoes are
used also.
al never heard oi q track walker be-
ing promoted to q better position.
Once track walker always a track
walker.
Anybody can get such a job, then, "
suggested the reporter.
"Not q bit OF It." retorted the patri.
arch, you couldn't. For instance,
I'd like to see you bolt on one OF those
angle plates; and you'd have to do it
in case OF emergency. A man must
have experience as trackman first.
The foreman picks his track-waiker
out OF tine trackmen. Their pay 10 all
the same--about $l.35 day. But II
there is any promoting being done,
the track.walker is never the lucky
one. Some trackman gets the raise.
The track-walker must 60 back to the
section gang again II he expects to set
up in the world.
"As rule, track walkers keep it all
their lives. A man who worked under
me on the section between Philmont
and Granville. on the Harlem road.