The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-02
TRACkWALkING
\ RAILROAD OCCUPATION THAT MUST
GROW TO BE TEDIOUS.

ing for Loose Nut~ and Protruding
Spikes Along the Line.
The terrible accident that happened to
Peter Daugherty. the "trackwalker."
gave to many readers a now word in the
vocabulary of trades and occupations
That there was such an occupation as
t~rackwalking under the big cover of the
starry dome not one man IN a thousand
ever Imagined.
"A trackwalker, "A ~trackwaller::" ex-
claimed II citlZen when asked the def
milton Of thr term, WY, yes; of course.
A trackwalker i, Il follow who walks
the tracks See: Just as easy. Now
ask ne something real hard.
IT pressed for IA CLOSER explanation of
che long words meaning, the citi-
zen proceeds to get flcetious. "Oh.
watcher TRYING To ring in ON me now:
A trackwalker is trackwalker. When
the carnivorous ramp is hunted from
mis- lair IN 1Le CIV he emigrates TO an
other On the way thitLer. my friend,
ne Is "A valuable specimen of the genus
tratAwalker When the manager of an
Uncle Toms ~abin" troop folds up his
pockethook AID ike in Arab. silently
steals away leaving sweet little Eva,
good old Cnrie Tom and religious Miss
UphelIa to swear at his memory for their
salaries, why. then they are very likely
TO become trackwalkers. Then. again,
Won might call huckSters who drive their
wagons up and down the street car
tract track hawkers He. he. he. See"
Which all goes to show that the real
bona tide trackwalker is comparatively
All unknown cog in the great machine of
the world If that cog was suddenly
taken ont of place and thrown away the
world would very soon discover its loss.
From the crashing of wrecked trains
would oln the death rattle of the dying:
from the ruddy glare Of burning ears
would ZONE the shrieks of tortured
wretches pinned beneath heavy timbers,
and the one cry sounded from end to end
OF the land would he. The trackwalker
deserted his trust. Ride along any road
for five or ten miles and you will over
take MIN plodding along beside the
track He is not dressed in the latest
cstaway diagonal and his trousers. if
noticed bag al the knees. He only gets
$3.50 a day here IN the west. and in some
eastern districts still less. He carries a
wrench and a nalnmer and now and
then stops TO tighten ii bolt in a rail or
drive a spike into ii tie. He tramps along
thus for twelve hours out Of the twenty
tonr and at the end of the day '.car.
sleep without rucGlng.
\ reporter found Daugher'y Yesterday
IN one of the pleasant wards of ST. Mary's
lntir1nary HendlHg over him. with her
sweet face full Of sympathy. was one OF
the sisters OF the order Hes doing
very nicely = she softly said but must
not be excl:ed
\ on see. its my shoulder there now"
exclaimed Danghferty. raising his left
arm and dropping II 10 the sheet again
with a shnaaer of pain 1t seems ~
though j. Was under a trip hammer and
the hummer was pounding for all il was
worth Still II isn't rs had now as it
Was Giond gracious butthat old engine
did hi ne ii clip"
How di. II hapreu2
All fired sudden ! was walking
along between tie tracks. ~peaceable as
YOU please when down rolls ii train on
the left hand Beng afraid that the
steam or something would hit me |
into the right hand track
Nhack. Bitf! Yours truly got it in the I
sure as you live. An engine was
diving down the right hand tracks. YOU
see aud merely tried to stop it by put
mn my sgt1ar1l1a, =. st. ,-l,-D ~. +
'ememher what happened then. The
lights went out When | arrived in
OF myself again / was here.
My walk is from Carr street to the
'ther end OF the bridge i'll Madison. I'm
lot complaining of the walk at all, un-
They always treated me whit.
= long rs I've been working fer EN-.
which Is only "A couple of months. I'm
ust n little sorry that the company is
ucn a new one, They haven't got any
of their own yet. You know.
hats why I'm here. Of course I'm be-
e treated splendidly here-just as if /
vas at hone--bnt. see. | don know
xactiy who's going to pay these good
listers for taking care of Inc. I'd hate
0 see EN- do all their work for moth
ng
Daugherty gazed reverently at the cru
itix hanging on the opposite wall before
answering Speaking Of the work. it's
ii right. ] get $50 a day, just the anne
IS the other laborers on the road, and it
mt as hard as digging All you've got
o do is to be SUR aud 90 oyer YOU sec
as many times as you're ordered
nd see that the rails are in proper shape.
I You find a loose bolt you take your
nncners and tighten II If YOU find a
pike pokin2 it. head into the air. give it
CHIP with your hammer That's ali
here Is TO the business. II you should
lappeu 10 find something out Of waark
md can I FIX II yourself. why. goa GO for
that's all You see. ! know just
.noagh about traeswalling to do my
gcrk well / EIaTe never mad any Of thu
W .eutures that sonfe Of the men nave J.
%. want u near some funny stories sou