The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-07
UNAPPRECiATED LABOR.
The Hard Lives Led by Locomo-
tive Fircnen.
Although Subjected to Great Dangers
They Arc Rarely tho Recipients
OF Public Favor or Com
mcndntlon.

1t Is doubtful if there is man on the
train who is less appreciated than the
fireman. The public shakes hands with
the conductor who has charge of the
train, thanks the brakeman for MANY
little courtesies bows to the baggage
master who looks after its luggage i'm
transit-perhaps, il it is u masculine
public, swcars ut him-trusts its valua-
blcs with the express messenger and
talks long and loud of the brave cngi-
nccr." But the fircman--hc who bends
to his work and feeds the fire that makes
the stcam-is never mentioned. Some
times purse is made up for the cngi-
neer. No one ever heard of the fireman
getting purse, but, according to In
dianapolis News, the records show that
he has performed as many deeds of valor
as the engineer. Again, if the train
leaves the track or goes into another
train the fireman has fewer chances to
escape than any man on the train cv-
ccpt, perhaps, the mail clerk, shut ND
like rat in Il cage. When the fireman
is at work, and that is nearly all the
time when the wheels are turning, he
stands stopped over shoveling in the
fuel or raking the Goals in the fire box;
his view ahead is INSTRUCTED and he
cannot see the danger that NAV be
dashing upon him. The rattle and roar
of the machinery may drown the cngi-
ncers warning Gala crash-thc tender
pins him to the boiler head and he dies n
horrible death. Standing in the narrow
gangway pccring ahead, sudden lurch
around Il curve may throw him off. In
stances have been known when the
coupling between the engine and the
tank parted and the fireman dropped
between them to be ground to pieces.
The records show that more tircmen
than engineers are killed in railroad
wrecks.
About the only time the fireman has
littlc leisure 10 when the train is rum
ming down grade. Then "shc is shut
OFF, steam is saved and the knight of
the shovel climbs up TO Il cushioned seat
and takes breathing spell. But even
then one eye is ahead, his hand on the
bell cord and the other eye fastened on
the steam guagc, whose little black
hands, iluctuating back and forth.
gauge his labor Us we'll as the steam.
1 here is Il science in feeding an en-
gi'c that is not understood by one not
lin the business. There is a way to
throw in The coal and to empty the
shovel and close the furnace door Mt the
same time. 1t requires nice calculation
that tells how many scoop loads are
needed t. send the hands on the gauge
to the proper figure, dcft handling to
keep the deck of the cabin clean and a
hundred other little things that 70 to
make Il sliillful frcman-one that saves
money for the company by outstanding
the coal. In the old days the fireman
on wood burners had IA hard time of
it and certainly earned the small money
he received for his services, but he had
Il sinccurc compared with the man in
blue ovcralls and jumper who stokes
up one of the huge "moguls" or hogs"
of the present day. These engines haul
freight and cat up coal as if it were
CREASED paper. The fireman is at work
continuously, and about the only time
lie has to rest is when his train takes
Il siding to let a more aristocratic pas
scngcr train pass. On the ''tcn wheel
ers" that pull the Big Four fast trains
or the engines that haul the express
trains of the Nandalia, PENNSYLVANIA,
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton and
the new Monon the fireman has Il hard
time of it. The machinery ncc,s, a
large amount of steam, and it takes
great deal of coal to make it, and the
scoop is ringing all the time