St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-13
A Plea for the Brave Man
Who Runs on the
Rail.
Daily Tasks Where Courage
and SobrietY Go Hand
in Hand.
What the Company Might Do
to Elevate the Mass Of
Employees.
Careless Passengers Little
Think Of the Dangers of
the Railroad.

To the Editor of the Globe.
l am railway engineer running on
the Wisconsin Central line. l realize
that l am no literary man. but am al
ways ready to introduce our railway
men to the public, when called upon to
do so. / will introduce to your reader
not lord or duke, nor gentleman of
high culture, but common everyday
man, one who rides over the rails for
his bread and butter. There has been
great Improvement in all branches of
railroading in the past ten years. Com
pare the old coaches of that time to
those of the present day, the vestibule
trains now in use Oh the great trunk
lines; the old link coupler with the
Miller platform: the hand brake with
the Westinghouse air brake, the old
seepers with their canvas partitions
compare all these with the palaces that
are now run on wheels. These i'm
provements became necessary as pay
ing investment in railway business.
Our railway men of America have not
been idle during all of this improve
ment. They, too, have been marching
forward with the object in view of bet
tering their cOnditiOn-men who eX-
hibit heroism in their everyday life
men who die at their post of duty in all
pride of manhood His work is more
treacherous and different from that of
other men. There is danger in every
cut and curve. There are collisions and
bridges burned which he must face.
Dear reader. you may sit by your warm
fire in cold winter night. Do you
hi nI- IF In n
the cold and storm? Entrusted in his
care perhaps may he your dear friend.
which may be mother. father, sister or
brother, taking them to their destina-
ton. You may say if this lite l speak
of is dangerous and filled with diff
culties. why do we follow it for our oc-
cupation in life? If young men did not
get the idea of going upon the road, the
supply would i'll time run out. 10 the
new beginner who has just entered the
service. it is something wonderful. He
commences his new work with heart
full of hope and JOY that he may sue
coed. | will admit that railway life is
quite fascinating and romantic, but the
romance of railway life is all found Ill
the. books. He can be relied upon under
all circumstances to take care of him.
self and his train, which is
Entrusted in His Care.
He not only has his own life at stake
] trusted in his care. He must he brave,
quick to comprehend. decisive in judy
ment: he must know the road and time
card, also grasp the meaning of tele-
graphic orders and be able to Judge
their Importance. He has no choice
when called to duty; rain or shine, day
or night, in cold or warm weather, he
r must be at the service, meeting the de-
mand of the hour. He is to a railroad
what spring is to a clock. which moves
its wheels. The wheels of commerce
Ia ! railway man may not at all
times look as neat and tidy
as he should, but one cannot
Judge by the clothes man wears
what kind of heart and character lies
beneath. One often hears the remark:
''There goes railroad man." 1t may be
that he has his hands thrust down in
the bottom of his pockets. streak of
dust around his nose and eyes which
distinguishes him from other people.
The day has gone by when a man need
hang his head because of his humble
position, as long as 1t is honorable,
to advance the standing of our
railwaymen should be the constant
throught of every railway in existence,
because it is upon their prompt
attention to duty that their success is
based. Let us examine our man before
engaging him for the service. Is he a
man that is honest? Is his character
good, and is he strictly sober man? If
company when employing men would
investigate more thoroughly the charac-
tiers of the men employed, we would
soon have better men in service. A man
that cannot be relied upon under all
circumstances as being sober man
should not have his name enrolled upon
the pay roll of railroad company. a
man whu possesses the natural gifts
necessary for the making of a good rail-
way man will advance more rapidly if
he has good influences thrown around
him. Good men should be chosen to fill
the offices, AS these men are looked upon
as the employees SuperiOrS, and their
habits are very easy for some to follow.
Good men placed in contact with other
men not so good will in time set them
to thinking, and will mould their
habits somewhat the same. Strict
discipline should be carried out in
all departments, hut in gentlemanly
way A railway official who snaps his
finger to his employee, who has waited
upon him to settle some little grievance
and says, mo, sir; you will do as l
want you to, or you will be dismissed
from the SERVICE" implies great deal.
The man who has been refused the re-
dress that he should have disappears
with a sad heart and jealous feeling.
which will surely work into wasteful
disposition as he thinks he must have
satisfaction. The company is the loser
in the long run, as it is the small savings
of each and every man that build up the
net earnings of railway company. If
this same official is kind at heart, and
always ready and willing to hear an en-
pioye who is lii trouble, and to show
his official clemency, these men will
wade through water knee-deep to obey
one of his orders. The
Surroundings of a Railway Man
are far different from that of the town
or city man. He is usually looking for
some place to enjoy himself when his
run is completed. as the average board
ing house does not have much enjoy
ment about it; only the food ee receives
and pays for. He starts out from the
boarding house and perhaps meets a
friend who invites him in some place, or
he goes in without an invitation. He is
i'll for a game of amusement of some
kind. If railway companies, when
building their depots at terminal sta
tons, would have room fitted up for
the convenience of their employees, sup
ply it with good reading, which would
be a great benefit to their employees.
they could then have place where
they could spend odd moments and
spare time in a good way. This would
help to cultivate his mind. mold his
habits in a good channel. and he would
soon despise the hell holes that he now
seeks for pleasure and recreation. A
great many of our railway men do not
have home and the constant advice of
a good mother to warn them of danger,
which is constantly lurking for victims.