Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-23


work, As a rule these can be detected
when they apply, but sometimes they
bluff so successfully that they get job.
The men they are with, however, soon
sssize them up" and make their life a
burden, until they learn their business
or leave. A case in point occurred re-
Gently in the Southern Pacific yard in
this city. A young man from Omaha,
who may be called for this occasion John
Buffer, asked for work. He was asked
If he understood yard work.
yard work! Why, I've worked at
that for five years." he answered.
AS men were little scarce he was
put to work, and proved to have
no knowledge at all OF his
business. The yard master had put him
in crew that did not have any love for
outsiders, and he was treated accord
ingly.
In the crew was Louis Wilson, one of
the athletes of the force. Louis under.
took to teach him the signals to the en-
.gineer.
THE first thing to do is to learn the
go ahead signal' said Wilson. You
must stand on your left foot and hold the
other foot out in front of you and swing
both arms about and keep turning
around You had better practice on
that"
For half day John Buffer zealously
practiced this novel signal, much to the
edification of the boys. policeman
who saw his evolutions was about to
arrest him as crazy, but on explanation
left him alone. That afternoon he was
told that he was getting on finely, and
should now learn the signal for the en-
gineer to back.
SIS it hard ?" rather anxiously ouer-
led John.
'Oh no." replied his instructor. "All
you have to do is to- stand on your head
on top Of the car and wiggle your feet"
John looked rather tired, but he
tackled the job and in two days time
managed to give the signal in satis-
factory manner.
The next day one OF "the gang" asked
John "Did they have red oil in Omaha
for red lights when you worked there?"
"Why, certainly" answered the vic
tim, "they had all the latest wrinkles
there"
Cali right. see you know what is
what. Just take this can, and go and
ask Donatin to fill it with red oil.
Off he trudged to master car builder
Donatin, and said:
sSay, please fill this with red oil for
the boys"
Donatin took in the situation and
/. told him that the supply was exhausted
that day, but to be sure and come for
the oil before O clock the next morn
ing, when a new barrel would be open.
When he got back, another OF his COM
rades sent him to a locomotive at the
end OF the yard to get monkey-wrench
out of the steam chest, and the engineer
came near breaking him into little bits,
before he could be stopped from tearing
the engine to pieces looking Tor that
wrench.
He was then given pilot bar which
weighs about 150 pounds and was told
that it was left-hand eccentric, and that
engine 3lS wanted it. He chased that
engine all over the city, carrying that
bar. and at last found it at the extreme
end of the yard, and explained his err
rand.
"Oh, that's all right. got left
hand eccentric some time ago. You can
take yours back to the round house. J"
replied the engineer. The round house
was about three miles away, but he car
ried that bar back and thought himself
sure-enough railroad man. The boys
got desperate, and as q final effort de-
cided to blow him away with the air
brakes.
The crew was switching away and the
order was given to "set the air brakes
ON that car before we uncouple." One
of the boys ran to the dangling brake
hose at the end of the hose and blew in
it until he was purple.
"Blow harder" yelled the engineer
from his cab.
II can't" answered the blower.
'Here, you see if you can set this
brake,'' he said to a comrade who was
also in the secret. He blew and blew.
but the engineer said it was not YET
hard enough.
ssLet me do that interposed the
Omaha man. ST can blow that brake
on easy. See?' And seating himself
he put the hose to his mouth and blew
AT the same moment the wicked en-
gineer turned on little valve, and Mr.
Omaha's head shot backward and ht
rolled over and over. The engineer haC
let the full force of the air hit the anna
teur railroader in the back of his mouth
When he got through being blown dowr
the track, he rose to his feet, and look
ING neither to the right, left or rear
sped away down the track in the direc
tion OF Omaha, and has since not beer
seen or heard OF, much to the satisfac
ton of "the gang"
NOTES.
The American Ticket Brokers' associ
alton report passenger travel eastwar'
as extremely dull, and account for tn
dullness by the fact that people OF mod
crate means, who usually take an an
nual vacation in the east, are husband
ing their resources for big picnic Il
Chicago during the worlds fair. Th
brokers expect that travel eastwar
next year will be equally dull.
Westward-bound travel is reporte
fair. but not so good as it was last veal
The bulk of this travel, however. doe
NOT set in until the latter end OF Nc
yember, by which time the excursion
from the New England states begin t
arrive.
A. L. Maxwell, agent for the Unio
depot in Portland, Ore., is in San Frar
cisco.
w. HI. Snedeker, general agent OF tn
Rio Grande and Western Railway CON
pany, has returned to San Francisco.
HD IA