The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-06-24

stautly moving up and down on their
springs or sEvaTing from one side TO the
other every few seconds
This stepping or jumping across Is
something absolutely appalling in its
dangerous features when the roofs are
50 slippery that oven walking on them
IS attended with the greatest possible
risk. a high wind often compels the
bralzcmen u crawl from anc car To an
other IL order to avoid being blown Of.
A. envialrlc rs their lot appears iu
summer, when we see the long trains
gliding in and out among the hills.
bounded on one side by a charming
prospect Of river and meadow land.
and on thc other By the cool, green
trees that nestle at the foot Of some
grand old mountain. they endure even
then the many discomfortS unknown to
the watcher from the piazza Of some
summer hotel.
Ia dashinT through some shaded val
ley they may bc lrcnchcd 10 the skin
by q sudden shower, and within half an
hour. perhaps. the ascent Of 4 few hun
drcd feet brings the train into an at
! musphcre a few degrees below the
/ freezing point, 50 that, with the and of
the wind famed by the speed Of the
train, the clothes are very soon frozen
stitf.
Bushels of cindcrs fly through the air.
but. strange as 1t may appear. the men
become accustomed to thcse la bulil-
whcre one would cause world Of dis
comfort.
Another feature. often involving suf-
ferinr aad danger, is going back II
1la@.~ When Il train i unexpectedly
stopped on the road the brakeman ut
the rear end must Immediately take his
red flag or lantern and 90 back half =.
mile or SO and give the stop signal TO
the engineer OF any train that might be
following.
IN clear weather and on q level
stretch this order Is frequently disrc-
rardyd. and lazy fellows viii. at the
risk 81 their lives. even neglect II do it
on dark and stormy nights. though IN
IN st eases the men are faithful and
viii 90 out and stand for a long time in
! q severe SIowst0rm liable 10 freeze to
death from the mcrcilcsS cold Perhaps
/ it i the very fact that they are con
/ stantly surrounded by danger 10 life
( and limb that these trainmcu become
/ careless and foolhardy, and do the most
reckless things with no thought of con
( sequence
/ Coupling accidents, however, are
/ practically unavoidable, because -
/ though the necessary manipulations can
1 bc made without going between the
/ ears or placing the hands in a danger
| Gus positi1u-Iuo~t of the men prefer To
/ run the risk IN order to facilitate mat
/ ters According to the regulations 81
! most roads the operation must bc per-
/ formed with the AID Of stick, but dis
D H.
/ time or perhaps because they fear the
ridirule that would be called forth by
their lack of skill in this direction. the
average brakeman prefers to use his
( fingers.
lie must lift the link and hold II hori-
( zoutaIly until The end enters the open
( ing, and then Withdraw his hand
before the heavy drawbars cone to-
gether. \ delay OF quarter OF a sec
Ond would crush the hand or finger as
| under triP-hammcr.
The number ef trainmcn with wound
/ ed hands that may be seen in every
| large freight yard l. sad evidence Of the
| fact that this delay often occurs. But
/ assuming that this part of the opera
( ton Is accomplished in safety, there is
/ still the possibility of being crushed
! bodily.
/ Cars are built with projecting tim
! bers on their ends at or near the center
/ for the purpose of keeping the main
body OF the cars ten or twelve inches
1 apart, but cars Of different makes fire.
qucutly meet in such q way that the
! projections on one lap pass those on
another and the space which should be
/ maintained for the safety Of the man Is
/ missing.
II l. l. -.
/ darkness of the night the man fails to
note these peculiarities he Is crushed
| without moments warming the pom
| dcrous vehicles coming together on his
| helpless body with the force Of many
/ tons. \ constant danger in coupling
| and Uncoupling is the liability To catch
/ the feet in angles in the track.
This Is peculiarly the ease when the
uncoUplinr must bc done while the train
! is in motion. The hazardous work and
! the pcrils described are those to which
/ only the bralIcmcn are liable: but all
/ trainmcn lead lives more or less filed
with danger, for no matter what posi-
/ tion they occupy there i ever the pos
/ sibility OF a collision, a landslide or 4
! hundred other conditions that menace
4 their lives that the man or woman who
! re dis this dreams not of.
If 1t does nothing more than make us
! appreciate our own homes and the free
] dom from personal danger in our seem
ingly mOnotonous pursuits, then the
! telling of the incidents in the everyday
! life Of a brakeman has accomplished
/ much.
! But to the llind-heartcd and unselfish
! men and women who for the first time
have realized the dangers to those lives
running parallel with theirs, yet 50 en-
tircly distinct, there will come a rush
! of sympathy for the men whose work
cOmpels them to brave the fury of the
/ elements, while we are housed safe and
warm before n fire, the material for
/ which has through the efforts OF some
! brakeman been brought to our doors