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

eauou, OUT none more 90 than the engineer,
whose Life depends great deal upon thsir faith
zone Of the traits in track walkers nature
that should be developed 10 shrewdness The
time may never come to him when this accom-
plishment would be brought into play, but then
again 1t may happen any time. The only ne
csssity for him to use it would be against
tramps or bonafde train wreckers. II the
tramps have any evil designs against the rail-
road company they must outwit the careful OBJ
servation of thu track walker before their plans
go1hrough. Every road possesses ono or two
sidings that tap the main track ON down
grade. The places are carefully watched. and
generally every precautiou taken to keep the
cars from being thrown on to the main track bv
evfl-minded persons. But trsmps are nothing IL
not ingenious, and the manner and swiftness
with which they can prepare death trap for
train OF cars IL something marvellous.
TRAIN wREcKKRs FOOLED
zone Of my night men during one OF his
trips noticed from a distance two men towering
around a siding that was known to be danger
Gus IL tempered with. They evidently didn't
want to be seen, as on approaching the vicinity
OF the siding he could see nothing Of them.
With the keenness Of thoroughbred detective
this track walker made his usual inspection of
the siding, and finding nothing wrong wended
his way up the track and disappeared around
tbs bend to the north. He had no sooner got
men, II they were watching him, than he
crawled up the bank on one side Of the track
aud made his way back toward the spot at
which he thought danger lurked. His susr ic-
ions proved we'll founded. He found both
those tramps working away at that sid
from one Of the isolated tool houses
along the road their intentions being,
no doubt. to let q car loaded with coal standing
on the siding drift on to the main track right in
the face OF heavily loaded passenger train due
at that point in about half an hour. The track
walker was true game. He nearly killed one Of
the scoundrels with blow of his hammer and
quickly overcame the struggles of the other
before he could draw vicious knife he carried
In one OF his pockets. Both of those tramps
laws OF Maryland are very strict for crimes of
that nature. The track walker is now q section
boss under me, with a salary that makes him
perfectly contented with this worlds treatment
of him.
ITO come down to the discussion of the
weather OF this winter, must say that it has
played hob with the railroad employees gem
orally. Talk about the gripmen ON the cable
cars and motormen on the electric cars having
terribly hard time of it, they are simply mot
In it, to use slang expression, when compared
with the freight brakemen or track walkers.
had one OF these men come into my office one
morning during that last cold snap who almost
cried With pain from the cold, and he said he
was afraid to touch his ears for fear they would
crack and fall off,
"The brakemen. especially, have caught the
full force OF the wintry blasts and undoubtedly
the cold on the railroad. The BOYS can't shirk
duty, but must be at the brakes when the steep
grades are reached. There is one of these
grades on my road out near Cumberland thirty
five miles long, and while descending it the
orakemen must be at the brakes continually.
hnn vh thox-< ~nx T., l.
less than an hour their rush through the pierre
ing cold wind Is something terrible.
In the west and northwest the track walkers
duty consists as much in watching for train
wreckers as for flaws in rail and roadbed In
this connection. Of course, the risk run by him
Is much greater than in the east. Train wreck
ers are little heard Of here in the east and when
such outlawry does occur it is generally the re-
suit OF spite work on the part of tramps and not
for financial considerations.
TRAIN wREcKING IN THE WEST
"a personal friend of mine is one Of the
electors OF Washington, and in letter from
him recently he told me Of an experience he
had with train wreckers who had outwitted the
track walker of the road on which he was trav-
cling The attempt occurred on the Southern
Pacific road al point called Cow Greek Canon,
Greg, fifty miles north Of the California line
in Washington. At that place the train crosses
~
GAS the California express approached the
trestle at a speed Of forty miles an hour the err
gineer saw young girl ntically swinging
lantern and trying to attract his attention.
The air brakes were instantly set and the train
on which my friend was a passenger came to a
standstill on the edge OF the trestle. All the
male passengers disembarked from the train
and an investigation was made. 1t showed that
the wreckers had taken up the outer rail on
the t-estle and the guard rail as well and had
thrown both into the canon.
1.-The work must have been done Just before
the train was due. as the track walker had passed
over the trestle half an hour previous and
everything was all right then. or course in
cases like that one can hardly blame The track
walker, as he had been evidently Swallowed.
Five minutes before the train arrived two girls
and young man walked past the trestle with a
lantern. They were going home from party
and were Mortified to find the two rails torn up
At the moment the discovery was made the ex-
press train was heard approaching. One Of the
girls snatched the Ian tern from the young mans
hand and ran up the track swinging the
lantern around her head. The engineer saw
her just in time. Had the train swept on to
the trestle nothing could have saved the train
from leaving the rails and being thrown into
the chasm below. Some ESQ passengers were
on that train and it is safe to say that most Of
them would have been killed had it not been
for the lucky walk home Of that young man
WIN VIZ WV oAo'0 ShAs ifou o1uSo Al
house near by.
my friend told me that when the passengers
found out the narrow escape they had made
purse of considerable size was made up and
presented to the young lady that had waved
the lantern SO frantically.
ION top Of nv friends letter received
newspaper from the same district telling the
details Of the attempted train wrecking, and say
ing that the giving Of the purse to the one girl
Ind created a feeling of jealousy in the heart of
the other, and that she had told story TO the
effect that the rails had been drawn by the
young man Of the party in the hope of obtain
ing a reward and with the proceeds he was to
marry one OF the girls. The wrong girl got
hold OF the money and refused to divide and as
q consequence no marriage took place, hence
the outletting Of the whole scheme by the dis
appointed maid. l tell you this story merely
as an illustration Of what the track walker has to
battle against He can circumvent to a great
extent the work Of nature, but when the in
genuity OF old Mephistophsles himself is
brought into play it requires providential in
tervention and assistance for him to prevent
calamities on railroads"
Strictly Military.
From Paris Figaro.
A strapping young fellow appeared before
the commission OF inspection.
''You claim exemption from military service9"
inquired the presiding officer.