Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-26
THE TELEGRAPaERs'S SIDE OF 1T.
Why Many Incompetent Operators are In Il
Service Of Railroads.


To the Editor Of The Evening star:
In your issue Of November Is read with in
terest the article on railroading entitled THE
Train Runner The instances the tn ain run
ner relates in his illustrations are but a few of
the many disaster5 that are yearly caused by
careiessncss ON the pars Of operators, and his
illustration OF the incident of the operator who
saved the train on the road running into WASH
ington in 1879 is but one of the many cases of
wrecks averted by an operator who has been
paid 4 salary that is sufficient 20 support him.
sels and family. But since 1883, the year in
which the striae occurred among operators,
the ones that understand the work of rail-
road and on whom the company could place
confidence have nearly all left to engage in
other pursuits in which there is 1T least a liy-
ing. Consequently the railroads are COM
PEELED to employ men who not only are care
less, bat have not had opportunity 20 learn
biography as il should be. OF course there
are great number of good. reliable and intclli-
gent men employed still railroad
operators, but it is only while waiting to
obtain some more lucrative position that they
remain To the public all disasters on the roads
are supposed to be caused by some engineer 5
or conductors negligence. but If the inside
facts were given out some poor vcrworked and
rnderpaid operator by his carelcssneSs in taxi
ing orders was the prime cause. but can a
railroad OF the public expect men OF intellect
end reliability TO work for from SO to ei5 per
month every day in the year. possibly AT some
out of the way place where they can neither
see nor know anything of outside life? Possibly
the operator has = wife and children 10 SUI port
He must per force live in some small country
town or III a railroad station To- make his mserly
pittance feed and clothe himself AID family. Is
there another trade or profession with SO many
lives depending upon their individual work! Is
there any paid so poorly aud l. there any COM
PEELED L. give up home friends and all that
makes life worth living and work every day In
the year? Ask yourself if compelled to endure
that sor: of life. would YOU not become dis
cUurageJ." careless and as nearly all our pro-
fession is today hopeless DO the railroads
not commit an offense in sacrificing the lives
of so many human beings yearly by employing
men who are after Il few months service AZ I'M
reliable as a March wind? Yet III some states
there are laws to the effect that any operator
VINO by careleSsness causes a wreck or the loss
of life can be tried for manslaughter in the lat
ter and criminal negligence i'll the former case
Not two wears ago not an operator III this
city indicted by jury for manslaughter for
being the cause of the wreck at the navy yard
tunnel. i'll which Engineer JaInison was killed
and several passengers INJURED? Why will pco-
pie allow such men tn be placed III positions
that are responsible a railroad operator 5?
Let there be a law compelling railroads to en-
plOy only men who are tirst-class operators and
the number of wrecks will be greatly diminished.
Let them receive decent salary and men of
the right sort will seek employment i'll railroad
offices. These are the aims of the Order OF
Railroad TeleGraphers." who will not admit any
bu; first-class men tn their order. and Vet most
railroads condemn the order because IL asks for
reasonable compensation. On some roads an
o. Il. 1. man cannot obtain employment lest
be may Influence others to ask for the rights of
q free-born American and caUse monopoly to
drop few of their dollars where it is most GER
tainly hard earned. "A HAM"
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