Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-02-10
TRACKWALKING
AsAuIsoAo OCCUPATION Tt3Ar MUST
GROW TO 81 TEDIOUS.

fUS tNr loose Nuh and rrctrwdtna
Spikes Along tho time,
Tho terrible accident that happened 20
Peter Dausherty, the "traokwalker, Z"
gave TO many readers new word in the
vocabulary OF trades and occupations. ="
That there was such an occupation as
trsohwaIsing under the his cover Of the
starry dome not one man in q thousand
ever imagined.
"A trackwalSeT, a trackwalkerp" ex-
claimed one citizen when asked the def
milton Of the term, why, yes; Of course.
A trsoswallSer is a fellow who walks
the tracks See' Just as easyl Now
ask me something real hard
II pressed for a closer explanation OF
the long words meaning. the citi-
sen proceeds 90 get facetous: "Oh,
watcher trying to ring in on me now?
A tracSwalker is-a trsokwalker. When
the oarnivorous tramp is hunted from
his lair in one city he emigrates to an
other On the way thither, my friend,
he is valuable specimen of the genus
trsckwal1er When the manager Of an
Uncle Toms Cabin" troop folds up his
pocketbook and. like an Arab, silently
steals away. leaving sweet little Eva,
good old Uncle Tom and religious Miss
Opheha to swear at his memory for their
salaries, why. then they are very likely
to become trackwslkers. Then, again.
you might call hucksters who drive their
wagons up and down the street car
tracks track hswkers he, he, hei See?"
Which all goes to show that the real
bona hde trackwalker is comparatively
sn 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 come the death rattle of the dying;
from the rudy glare of burning cars
would come the shrieks of tortured
wretohes pinned beneath heavy timbers,
and the one cry sounded from end to end
Of the land would be, THE trackwalker
deserted his trust. Ride along any road
for FIVE or ten miles and you will over
take him, plodding along beside the
track he is not dressed In the latest
GETAWAY diagonal, and his trousers, if
noticed, bag at the knees. He only gets
$3.50 day here in the west, and in some
eastern districts still less. He carries a
wrench and a hammer, and now and
then stops TO tighten bolt in rail or
drive a spike into tie. he tramps along
thus for twelve hours out of the twenty
four, and at the end of the day "can
sleep without rocking"
A reporter found Daugherty yesterday
in one of the pleasant wards of st. Mary's
infrmary. Bending over him, with her
sweet face fall of sympathy, was one of
the sisters of the order. Hes doing
very nicely" she softly said. but must
not be excited
"You see, it's my shoulder there now"
exclaimed Daughterty, raising his left
arm and dropping it to the sheet again
with a shudder of pain lit seems as
though it was under a trip hammer and
the hammer was pounding for all it was
worth. Still it isn't as bad now as it
was. Good gracious, butthat old engine
did hit me clipr
How did it happenY"
"Al fired sudden. | was walking
along between the tracks, peaceable as
you please, when down rolls a train on
the left hand. Being afraid that the
steam or something would hit me
stepped into the right hand track
Whack Biffl Yours truly got it in the
neck sure AZ you live. An engine was
flying down the right hand tracks, you
see. and merely tried to stop it by put
ting my shoulder to the wheel don't
remember what happened then. The
lights went out When | arrived in
sight Of myself again was here.
My walk is from Carr street to the
other end Of the bridge in Madison. I'm
not complaining Of the walk at all, I'M
derstand. They always treated me white
as long as I've been working for EN-,
which is only a couple Of months. I'm
just little sorry that tho company is
such new one. They haven't got any
hospital of their own yet. you know.
That's why I'm here. OF course I'm be-
ing treated splendidly here-just as II
was at home hut, you see, don't know
exactly who's going 10 pay these good
nAsbcin ioi AhhlhB NhIo VI hics u hitto
% see EN- do all their work for moth
ing"
Daugherty gazed reverently at thecru-
cifx hanging ON the opposite wall before
answering Speaking OF the work It's
all right. J get $3.50 a day, just the aame
MS the other iaborers on the road. aud II
isn't as hard rs digging. All you've got
10 do is 10 DO sure and 20 over your SEQ
ton as many times as you're ordered,
and sec that tho rails nre IN proper shape
II you find a loose bolt You take your
pinchers and tighten IL II you lind "a
spike polsing It's head into tho air, give Il
q clip with your hammer That's all
there is 90 tho business II You should
happen 10 find something ont Of whaok
and can't ia u yourself, why You 70 for
help that's all You 500, I know Just
enough about traokwalking 30 do my
xUark wall 4 luVn uaVnu had uuV ~ iha