The Sunday morning news., 1891-11-01
RAILROAD NOTES.

RAILROAD NOTES.
Van Nostrand place and Communipaw
avenue stations, Oh the Central, in Hu :
son county, will be opened November
1st.
Three or four years ago there were only
fifteen electric roads in this country. Now
there are over 400.
The Greenwood Lake Railroad has
never had u more popular superintendent
than b. K. Moodey.
The block system Is being extended
westward on tue Erie. 1t is now being
put in between Hornellsville and Sala-
manca.
The Florida limited will be put on the
Pennsylvania road early next mouth. IL
will be solid vestibule train through
to Jacksonville, same as last season.
There are 155 lodges of ths Switcnmen' IS
Mutual Aid Association, with u nember-
ship OF 7,453, an increase Of 2,453 over
last year.
1t is stated that the Nickel Plate, West
Shore. Hoosac Tunnel, three fast lines,
are to be consolidated under new uame,
and the Toledo, st. Louis & Kansas Cily
is to be made the road for entrance into
St. Louis. e
For the beneficiary fund of the Broth
ethood of Locomotive Firemen Secretary
DeDs received $43, ,79S last month, and his
disbursements TO" sick and death claims
present 470 local branches.
The Lake Shore Is embedding the
tracks in the yards northwest of Union
station in asphalt. 1t is thought that this
will make better ballast than stone aud
gravel as well as producing smoother
and more slightly yard.
Circulars have been issued calling at
tention to the penalties prescribed for uu-
lawfully riding on a train. It will be
urged upon railroad officers to use more
stringent rules to prevent this practice,
which seems to be on the increase.
The representatives Of the Brotherhood
OF Railroad Conductors and the Order of
Railway Conductors in conference at Ce-
dar Rapids, Ia, decided TO consolidate
both organizations under the name of
the latter, and to work for the general
federation OF all train service organiza-
tions.
Grand Chief Clark of the New Consol-
dated Order of Railroad Conductors is
trying to federate the various associa-
tions of railroad employees. The slate as
thus far made up comprises the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen, the Order
of Railway Conductors, the brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen, the Order of Rail
way Telegraphers and the Brotherhood
Of Station Men. This federation will rep
resent 20, 600 members.
The big power. house of the Lacka-
wanna at Hoboken is rapidly nearing
completion. The boilers will furnish
steam for heating the cars standing in
the passenger yard and power for COM
pressing gas for the new lighting system.
Probably dozen or twenty engineers
or firemen lose their lives every year
from their habit of sitting down on the
rails while their engines are idle. 1t is
strange that men VINO know their danger
so well should indulge in this practice,
but they will be seen doing 1t all over the
Union wherever several engines are
standing In yard.
On the Central road an examining
board has been busy for about week in
curing into the ability of conductors,
brakemen and engineers on passenger
trains. The board consists of Assistant
Trainmasters g. H. French and w. e.
Bailey and Travelling Dispatcher John
Cassidy. The men were questioned AS to
their knowledge of the new rules adopted
by the company short time ago, and in
structed as to their enforcement. The
company expects beneficial results from
these examinations, and may possibly ex-
tend the system to the freight and coal
divisions
The Lackawanna has at last put the
Sunday trains over the Morris and Essex
division on the public time tables. Why
it should not have been done years ago is
a mystery.
There is no Sunday train to Greenwood
Lake now, bnt the winter timetable Is
much better than it was last year, two
trains running each way over the road
every week day.
There were two wrecks of coal trains
last week. One in Newark was u small
affair." and it required only an hour 10
clear the tracks. The other was at Bound
Brook. on the Central, and while no lives
were lost. the damage was prodigious.
Coal jimmies, or four wheeled cars, were
a hU fhn of hnth aroiIanfQ
When a jimmy goes of the rails it is often
a serious matter. for the whole train is
likely to pile up in heap. That is what
happened at Bound Brook, and thousands
of Ions of coal was piled up on the tracks.
making big blockade. The coal jimmy
is doomed vehicle. Brakemen hate
them. and unless they have confidence in
the engineer in charge will not ride
on the cars. A careless engineer can pile
up a train of jimmies by a too abrupt
stop, and this means certain death to the
brakeman on the bumpers. And yet coal
jimmies are such uncertain things That
sometimes one OK them in the middle of a
train win jump. the track. run half mile
on the ties and then get back into line
again. They nave been known to go
nearly all the way across tht bay bridge
on the ties. and come out all right when
they struck solid ground.
~Hats or"
One of the simplest instincts of good
manners would seem to be that a man
should uncover his head while eating his
dinner with his family; yet it is pretty
certain that the first gentlemen of Eng
land two centuries ago habirually wore
their hats during that ceremony, nor is it
known just when or why the practice was
changed. In Pepy's famous Diary, which
is the best manual of manners for its
period, we read, under date OF September
90. 1864: Home to. bed, having got