The Portland daily press., 1893-04-01
WAITING FOR DEAD MEMS SHOES.

The Grim Intelligence Unemployed Men
| Are Ever In Haste to Garry.
Jimmy Reilly's lost his job!' said
| rugged looking young man in rusty
pea Jacket and blue flannel shirt as he
entered railroad officials office in Jer-
sey City on one of the coolest, snowiest
days. "And I'd like to leave my name
for the job O. brakin in his place, sir"
"Lost his job? How's that?"
"Jist got killed up in the yard!' re-
piled the young man in the pea jacket.
The railroad official promised to hold
the application under consideration, and
the man went out, evidently well pleased.
s'There is no calling" said the officer,
$50 beset with dangers and hardships as
that of railroad brakeman, especially
on freight or coal train, and yet were
SO brakemen killed on this or any other
road today there would be an eager and
anxious applicant for each mans place
as soon as the news of his death became
known. The man who was in here just
now evidently saw Brakeman Reilly
killed, because it couldn't have happened
long before he came in, as have re-
ceived no official notice Of the accident
yet, and reports of that kind come Gin
very promptly. That man witnessed
Reilly's death, but whatever, impression
it made upon him was lost in the fact
that the dead man had left place to be
filed by some one else. That prompted
him to act at once, and he lost not sec
ond in securing whatever Of advantage
he believed priority of claim for the
place might give him.
"Every railroad has small army Of
these anxious and waiting applicants for
chances to step into dead mems shoes
hanging around its yards and stations.
They are chiefly men who have followed
railroading all their lives and have lost
their jobs in some way. You see, rail
reading is good deal like politics. If a
man goes into it once, he isn't worth
snap for anything else, and so If he gets
out Of it he is perpetually on the lookout
for the opportunity that must come for
him to get in again. There isn't one of
the men refer to who does not feel a
genuine sorrow when railroader is
hllICQy dllO LOW VI Dl1CAA WO0lN llColp0OO
to risk their own lives in an effort to
save that of any trainman in danger,
although they might know that the death
Of that man would. place them in the
best position they could hope ever to fill,
yet they haunt the tracks and the station
yards day after day watching the switch
ing and the coming and going Of trains,
knowing that some one of the trainhands
or switchmen is sure to be killed now
and then.
"When the fellows of the man who
came here in such haste to bespeak poor
Reilly's place hear Of Reilly's death, they
will bemoan the hard fate that prevented
them from being present when he was
killed and robbed them of chance to
reach my ear first. It isn't at all likely
that this enterprising young man will be
hired in Reilly's place, although he may
be. If he isn't, it will not shake his
faith, nor that of any of the others, in
the importance of having early inteili-
gence of fatal accidents to trainmen,
and being early to my Office with the
news and an application; or, if the acct
dent occurs at a distance, to the Office Of
the one having authority at that point.
There is one of these men who has
brought me the first news of seven diff
ferent men he has seen killed, and he is
now, have no doubt, watching for an
other accident with the hopetlaat l1ewiil
get the dead mans job. New York Sun