The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-03-22
The Locomotive Fireman.


train who is less appreciated than the
fireman. The public shakes hands with
the copdustor who has charge of the
train, thanks the brakeman for many lit
tie courtesies, bows to the baggagemaster
who looks after its luggage in transit
perhaps, if it is a masculine public
swears at him-trusts its valuables with
the express messenger and talks long and
loud of the "brave engineer" But the
6renan-he who bends to his work and
feeds the fire that makes the steam-is
never mentioned. Sometimes purse is
made up for the engineer. No one ever
heard of the fireman getting purse, but
the records shows that be 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 rat in 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 raking the Goals
in the fire box; his view ahead is OBJ
structed, and he cannot see the danger
that may be dashing upon him. The rat
tie and roar OF the machinery may drown
the engineers warning Gala crash
the tender pins him to the boiler ahead
and he dies horrible death. Standing
in the narrow gangway 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 be ground to
pieces. The records show that more fire
men than engineers are killed in railroad
wrecks.
About the oDly time the fireman has
little leisure is when the train is running
down grade Then "she If hut off,"
steam is saved, and the knight of the
shovel climbs up to cushioned seat and
takes breathing spell. But even then
one eye is ahead, his hand on the bell
cord, and the other eye is fastened on the
steam gauge, whose little black hands,
Auctuatiug back and forth, gauge his Ia
Dor as we'll as the steam. There is sci.
epce in feeding" an engine that is not
understood by one not in the business.
There ia way to throw 10 the coal aud
to empty the shovel and close the furnace
door at the same time. It requires nice
calculation that tells how many scoop
loads" are needed to send the hands on
the guage to the proper figure, deft
handling to keep the deck of the cabin
clean, and hundred other little things
that 20 to make skillful 6remau-one
that saves money for the company By
outstanding the coal.
In the old days the firemen on the
"wood burners" had hard time of it,
and certainly earned the small money be
received for his services, but he had q
sinecure compared 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 were creased pa
per. The fremsn is at work continu-
ously, and about the only time he has to
rest is when his train stakes siding" 10
let more sristocratic passengenger train
pass. On the stem wheelers" that pull
the Big -Four trains, or the engines that
haul the express trains of the Vandalla,
Pennsylvania, Cincinnati, Hamilton and
Dayton. and the New Mouon, the fire
man has hard time of it. The machin-
cry needs large amount of'steam, and
it takes great deal of coal to make it.
and the scoop" is ringing all the time.
Indianapolis NeOs.