The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-06-06
RAILROAD MEN.
The Responsibilities and Dangers of
Their Various Positions.
Harley Harker, in the N. Y. Weekl,


A distinguished clergyman tells the fol-
towing good story He was standing on
the platform of railway car when he
overheard the brakeman ask his friend
"Would you like to see ME command the
President of the United States p
The man, of course, doubtfully replied
that he would like to see him do such
wonder. If [ mistake not, the train was
standing in the depot at Washington to
start The bell rang just then. The
brakeman bent from his wheel and spoke
tc gentleman who was standing on the |
platform. "All aboard, sir The gentle
man, who was Hon. Franklin Pierce, the
President, turned most obediently and
stepped upon the car. The train moved
off while the jocose brakeman rubbed his |
chin to obscure the laugh, as he winked at
his nonplused friend.
There is great deal more in the incl
dent than the story tells at first sight.
Think what power for good or evil to a
whole nation is lodged in the wrist of the
engineer of that train. Think with what
dignity or fidelity the conductor Of that
train may walk its aisle He is all that
the captain of ship is, whom marine law
and usage have always recognized as an
absolute monarch for the transit. The
care that our conductor wears makes him
kingly. His responsibility is his knight
hood. His sobriety, his judgment in
crisis, are the only laws, as he thinks what
to do, the printed rules of the road being
only mute advisers. In case of an acci-
dent no printed regulations interpret them
selves This conductor is an autocrat.
He gives the order what we must all do,
and if we obey we find the vast corpora
ton behind him. He, this quiet man in
uniform, therefore represents three hun
dred passengers, with all that each one
stands for; he also represents hundred
million dollars, the capital stock, the bonds
of the railroad company. Quite an i'm
portant parsonage is he. The conductor
of an express train, running between two
fine cities, must of necessity mingle in the
society of elegant ladies, delicate children,
professional gentlemen and business men
of the highest standing socially. Yet he
must be as firm master of train men as
the booted general with an army. He is
master of heartless iron, pitiless steam,
ponderous and cruel forces of momentum,
more destructive than park of artillery
From the drawing room car to the wind
swept, snow stormed cut or embankment,
where his train halts by signal, he must
stand and issue orders, calm, wise. This
is quite transition; this is the meaning of
character in the railroad man.
The engineer must be fearless and fear
full. He must run as if he were reckless.
Yet not an instant but he must be more
careful than any custodian of diamonds or
head accountant of the greatest financial
institution. The rarest possible combina-
ton of brute force with human delicacy of
feeling. One instant this driver is all
driver; the next instant he is all tenderest
care Nay, in one and the same instant
he must be both of these. He is con-
sciOus of annihilation- He is con-
scious of preservatioh-his passengers
lives and limbs. This action of the mind
may be almost unconscious to himself,
but it exists. The driver of an express
train realizes the two most contradictory
feelings. He realizes resistless power and
perfect safety. Strange that the nerves
break down. Not at all.
The train dispatcher is a wonder. Two
minutes apart he sends these awful masses
of iron one after another What martial
act surpasses his courage? What if the
signal system fails? 1t must fail some
time, for everything human does. This
time there will be a crash No; it does
not come. But every time brings that
fatal time nearer And your hand sent
them when you touched that pushbutton.
How dare you? because it is my duty.
With God are the issues of life and death.
All men must die some time. If | am the
man that sends the train that is to crash |
can not help it. Still, your position is
imposing, is it not? You are in a noble
place You ought to be man of the
first order No doubt you are, and yet
your career is inglorious. When you
come wearily down the iron stair, off duty
no one cheers you as you mingle with the
crowd going home Your reward must be
in your own heart and Gods good hand
hereafter | hope you will be on duty
when my train passes, or another as true
as you.
There is an immense deal of hazard in q
trainmans life. We passengers do moi
think so; we are ignorant of ten thousand
things that happen, especially in the night
Were it not so, we could not sleep as We
do. But the brave hands know, and they
often tremble Were it not for habitude
they would tyenble oftener Many a man
kisses his babies good night, with curl
Gus apprehension that he has to choke
down.
This feeling is ftful; sometimes it comes
often; then again not for weeks. But il
is always hard to fight. A man is haunt
ed by it all his run: "This time is to
be my time" As hour after hour of the
run slips by, and nothing does happen,
often the last few minutes become fearful
in their torment to a brave man. at will
be in my own yard, just as ] make the last
few feet" After such an experience one
may berate himself as a fool, but that
does not change matters of fact; the trial
of courage will recur, as long as he is on
the iron.
The meanness of the public no one
learns as the railroad man does. The
proud mans insolence, the weak mans
helpless foolery, the skinAints selfish lies
the naughty females contempt, the
unreasonableness of about four out of ten
perhaps it comes nearer one-half. The
quiet self-possession and firm self control
that are necessary to meet this sort Of
stuff are doubtless helped by pitying
contempt. The model railroad man never
gives himself away to such people
The railroad mans health is often
against him in a critical moment A
bursting headache is no trihing matter
when such responsibilities are pressing
heavily. To keep ones situation it is
often necessary to say nothing, even if you