Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-28


the travelling public and but rarely written
about.
His duties call for the inspection of the rail-
road track over a certain division, the length Of
which varies, according to circumstances, from
three to eight miles. The day track walker, as
he is known in railroad parlance has more
manual labor attached to his position than the
night man, but the responsibility is not nearly
SO great. The former must tighten up the bolt
nuts at every rail joint il necessary, and if tie
has been jolted SO that il says, his handy pick,
which he Jugs along over his shoulder, comes
| INFO play. Daylight robs his position Of q
greater portion of the responsibility, as the
engineers on the fast flying trains can see far
enough ahead to avert an accident from an
obstruction on the track nine cases out of ten.
The track walker becomes an expert in his line,
| and his trained eye quickly catch the
smallest flaw, and with his handy implements
set 1t right in few minutes.
THE NIGHT MANS DUTY.
| The night track walker is in reality "the"
track walker. His hours are generally from
or in the evening until about the same time
in the morning. During these hours he is sup
posed to go over his division at regular inter
walls and on roads whose train schedules are not
SO numerous after nightfall, before every pas
| senger train. This caution is necessary in cold
weather, as the fine steel rails now in general
old iron ones, will snap and swerve out Of align
ment at most inopportune moments.
III the night walker can secure an assignment
OF watching division on which there are tele-
graph Offices or watch boxes at either end he
IL indeed lucky. Out in the country there are
several DIVISIONS that have telegraph office at
one end only and when the Waterman starts
out he has 20 make the round trip before again
warming up. Imagine a human being tramp
ing over the frozen ice and snow between the
rails for distance Of ten miles, the country
| an open one and the wind blowing q gale, while
the thermometer tells him at the start out that
zero weather is on tap. 1t is not pleasant pic
ture to frame in ones mind, truly. Three of
these trips must be made during the night, but
when there is more than ordinary fall of
snow two trips are allowable.
How often these men have discovered defects
in the rails, joints road bed, only the private
records Of the different companies will show,
but 1t Is a safe conjecture to make that they
earn their money over and over again, rs their
pay is only $50 month. Thirty dollars is good
pay in the country districts and men that can
be depended upon are always available This
can be accounted for on the same ground that
parachute jumpers can always be hired, both
being after the same thing-a living.
ADVANTAGE NEAR CITIES.
While the divisions in and about the cities
are not as long as those in the country, more
switches and tracks are to be looked after But
the suffering from the weather is not nearly SO
great, as the numerous watch boxes at the street
crossings and telegraph towers afford him a
retreat that 10 very welcome and generally
taken advantage of.
One OF the greatest dangers the track walker
has to guard against is the feeling Of drowsiness
that takes possession Of him, which is developed
by the intense cold. II they do not get their
quota OF sleep during the day they will, very
frequently: refuse to go out at night during
severe cold weather for fear that this tendency
to sleep may overcome them. To give away to
it means almost certain death. The few Sec
onds which pass while they are alongside the
track waiting for a train to go by are the ones
that are full of danger, especially if they have
walked a considerable distance and are at all
weary.
One night during the last cold spell track
walker was killed over near Philadelphia, and
the engineer, In reporting the accident, said
that he believed the man was sleeping standing
up in the middle Of the track when struck He
had blown mis- whistle several times and re-
versed his engine, and just as the headlight
OF his locomotive flashed on the poor fellows
face he noticed that his eyes were closed
There ia a probability that even at that moment
the man might have been already frozen to
death. as the mercury that night reached IL de-
grees below Zero
supervisor ON one OF the railroads entering
Washington was seen recently by an EVENING
STAR reporter and the trials Of these men we're
talked over. He has direct control Of the track
walkers and has comprehensive understand
ing Of what they have to undergo. He said:
CHARACTER OF MEN REQUIRED.
while those track walkers are seemingly
poorly paid they get much as the day
laborers who ply the pick and shovel. Their
greatest hardship, barring the rgors of winter,
Is that OF being entirely alone while performing
their duty II you will take the trouble to
Aiov thavH ha all
for weeks at n time he will not run across man,
woman OF child while going over his division.
Considerable understanding Of human nature
has to be exercised in choosing men for this
work. Men that recognize the importance OF
their posi- lions and the likelihood Of catching
the one chance out Of hundred of something
being wrong with tho track are the men We try
to employ.
LET me illustrate. Early last summer We
had man on a division between this city and
Philadelphia. He had worked for us for years,
but strange to say he had not run across = flaw
in the rails or obstruction Of the track that
were worthy Of the names. He worked the
daylight trick, and for this reason, no doubt,
became just a trihe careless On the day In
question he should have gone out ahead OF one
Of our fastest trains he had done for months,
but this time he swerved from his line Of duty
and took chances. 1t happened to be q eass OF
one out OF hundred and had he gone on
ahead everything would have been well A
heavy door Of a car attached to . freight train
on the opposite track had become detached and
had fallen unnoticed on the other track In such
a way As to make it formidable weapon Of
destruction. Limited struck the door while
going at topnotch speed and quicker than Q fash
the entire train was OF the rails and lying up
against the steep bank that ran along the side.
1t was one Of the most disastrous wrecks In
which no one was killed that has come under
my experience. The were reduced to
splinters.on the side they struck tho ground
through being carried Q considerable distance
over the gravel and stones in that position.
Some forty people wers seriously injured and
one and all said II was . miracle that many
were not killed.
"The engineer discovered the obstruction be.
fore he struck It, but was upon Il before he
had time TO say Jack Robinson Il Just shows
that when We try TO impress upon these men
the fact that they are there to find the one
chance out Of . hundred that ~ make no
mistake when We do ii.
MADE HIN DO HIS DurY.
~ know Of telegraph operator that worked
about five miles ont from washinSsoa on nay
road who one night had . fight vath track
walker and threw him ont Of his onacs, 90 q 70
make him 60 over his division - usual. The
night was . terribly cold one and the boon fol.
Low naturally drifted into the line OF reclamation
| OF duty. Being deprived Of shelter b asked
for his lantern and hammer and started Oh on
his lonely tramp. An hour aftsrward b. caa,s
back and Rugged that operator 10 his breast
with D genuine Qrixzly hanr hn9- Hn haA