The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-12-29
RAILROAD SALOONS,

"A 6OuFCe Oh danger To the Lives OF the
Travelling Public.
The express trains on many of the
great trunk lines of railroads carry with
them literal saloon for the sale of al
coholic drinks. The trainmen are for.
hidden to drink under penalty of iinme-
date discharge, and the bar-kecpers
(called porters) are required not to sell
or give spirits to any employee in service
on the road. Managers of roads are
aware of the risk and danger of the
service rendered by men who use spirits,
hence stringent rules are laid down,
and efforts made to employ only healthy,
temperate men, especially on trains
and where great responsibility and ex-
act duties are required. While the
vast majority of trainmel on all rail-
roads are practical abstainers, there is
always small number who are con-
cealed drinkers, growing worse stead
lily. The result of their drinking is al
ways some accident and exposure with
discharge. Often the accidents are of
little interest to the public, because
they are not attended with loss of life
In some instances the person who made
the mistake is killed and his use of
spirits las the real cause of the acct
dcnt) is concealed from the public.
Where gross carelessness and stupidity
result in an accident among experienced
trainmen, the use of alcohol is not un-
frequently the real cause.
These men are not public drinkers,
and are known as temperate men. but
after accidents it will appear that thew
have used spirits and probably carried
it with them. There is another class
of active, responsible trainmen, whose
long-tried services have given them
reputation witnthe company, who all
unexpectedly make very serious mis-
takes in their ordinary work which
result in great disasters. Alcohol and
its compounds are often at the bottom
of these sudden failures. Want of
ordinary caution. and sudden boldness
in assuming great risk, failure to re-
member orders, and faulty reasoning,
are the usual symptoms. Such men use
alcohol as medicine and tonic, to en-
able them to do their work better. They
fully recognize the danger of large
doses. but are deluded with the idea
that in certain circumstances small
doses are necessary for their work.
The fact is we'll known that the contin-
uous strain and irregularity of railroad
work soon wears out the brain and
nervous system, producing states of ex-
haustion for which alcohol in any form
is a most seductive tonic. To an over
worked, tired out trainman, who has
found spirits perfect relief, no rules
or restrictions can prevent him from
taking spirits from the travelling saloon
on the train, Or the saloon at the Sta
ton. OF course no one will see him.
but his changed spirits and manner will
tell the story. Those are the men who
make the mistakes from which accidents
come. A tired brakeman took glass of
spirits and went back to flag an ap-
proachir train-fell asleep and a
frightful disaster followed. An over
worked engineer; after glass of spir-
It's at the station, failed to see the dam
ger signal few miles farther on. and
was killed in frightful wreck. These
and similar instances are repeated
every year, on nearly all the roads.
only many of them simply involve the
loss OF property and are unnoticed.
The culpability and downright stupid.
'ty OF the company managers in this
matter are almost phenomenal. IRE
spective of all moral considerations.
and simply from a business point, it is
absurd to expect any number of tenn.
perate men, engaged in a peculiarly
aerve-exhausting occupation, to abstain
from spirits, especially when exposed
TO its free use any time, and under all
circumstances
Loose gunpowder and sulphur matches
might be carried in proximity for some
Time without accident. Public places
Tor the sale of spirits on trains and at
stations, under the control of the COM
oany, may seem to be harmless, but the
Quantity of accidents due directly and
indirectly to them is beyond ali ques-
lion. 1t is an unwritten law of the sa-
loon managers on trains and at sta
lions, that trainmen are to have spirits
free at all times, on the pretense Of
their rse as medicines. It is higher
law OF nature that the strain Of exact
and perilous duty, day after day, reacts |
IN states of exhaustion, for which spir- |
its bring most rapid temporary relief.
The same great physical laws make |