The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-10
THE LOCOMOTIVE FIREMAN.
One of the Hardest Worked and
Least Appreciated of Employees.

One of the Hardest Worked and
Least Appreciated of Employees.
From the Indianapolfs Netos.
1t is doubtful If there is a man on the
train who is less appreciated than the fire.
man. The public shakes hands with the
conductor who has charge of the train,
thanks the brakeman for many little oour-
tesies, bows TO the baggagemas.er who
looks after its luggage in transit-perhaps, If
it is a mRsculiHe public, swears at him
trusts its veluables with the express mes
senger and talks long and loud of the 'brave
engineer But the tlremau-he who bends
to his work and feeds the fire that makes
the steam-is never mentioned. Sometimes
a purse 10 made up for the engineer. No one
ever heard Of the fireman getting purse,
but 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, except perhaps the mail clerk, shut
like q rat in a 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 rakiug the Goals in the fire
box; his view ahead is obstructed, and he
cannot see the danger that may be dashinR
upon hiTn. The rattle and roar of the ma
chinery may drown the engineers warning
Gala crash-the tender pins him to the
boiler head and he dies a horrible death.
Stand ng In the narrow gengway peering
ahead, a sudden lurch around curve may
throw him off. Instances have been known
when the coupling between the engine and
the tank parted and the fireman dropped
between them to DO ground TO pieces. The
records show that more firemen than en-
gineers are killed in railroad wrecks
About the only time the fireman has
little leisure is when the train is running
down grade. Then "she is shut off," steam
is saved, and the knight of the shovel
climbs up TO cushioned seat and takes q
breathing spell. But even then one eye is
ahead, his hand on the bell cord, ana the
other eye fastened on the steam gauge,
whose little black hands, huctuat.ng back
and forth, gauge his labor as we'll as the
steam. There is science in feeding" an
engine that is not understood by one not in
the business. There is way to throw in
the coal and to empty the shovel and close
the furnace door at the same time. IL re-
quires nice calculation that tells how many
SCOOP loads" are needed TO send the hands
on the gauge to the proper figure, def5
handling TO keep the deck OF the cabin
clean, aud a hundred other little things
that go to make a skillful freman-one
that saves money for the company by
outstanding the coal
In the old days the fireman on the wood
! burners had hard time of it, and GER
! tainly earned the small money he received
for his services, but he had sinecure COM
pared with the man in blue overalls and
| jumper who "stokes up one Of the huge
| ''moguls' or 'hogs" of the present day
! These engines haul freight and eat up coal
as If it we're CREASED paper. The fireman is
at work continuously, and about the only
time he has TO rest is when his train takes
a siding" to let more aristocratic pas
senger train pass On the "ten wheelersn
that pull the Big Four fast trains, or the
engines that haul the express trains Of the
Vandalis, Pennsylvania, Cincinnati, Hamil-
ton and Dayton, and the New Monon, the
fireman has a hard time Of 1t. The ma
chinery needs large amount of steam, aud
IL takes a great deal Of coal to make il, and
the scoop" is ringing all the time.