The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1894-04-14
SATURDAY,
RAILROAD ENGINEERS,

IL went To work when | was twelve
years old, rat an engine on the rail-
road for t~wcnty-three years, and be-
lieve l knew something about railroad
ing" This was the modest admission
which Nj. Youngson made in the be-
ginning Of our conversation. Contin-
uing he said. "Tbe Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers is the Oldest
railroad labor organization in the
United States, has u membership Of
30 1000, which is gaining every day,
and admits to membership only loco
motive engineers, white men Of good
moral character who have had
than one years experience in running
an engine"
What IL the average wage received
by a locomotive engineer in the
United States?" was asked.
"That depends almost entirely on
the locality. The engineers on the
Lehigh Valley Railroad, for example,
are the poorest paid set of engineers
in this country. They receive only
1926 a day and in some instances run
one hundred and fifty miles for that
wage. On the Pennsylvania and Erie
systems aud all the other lines of rail-
way in the territory %adjuncent to that
occupied by the Lehigh Valley road,
engineers receive from 1850 10 $4.0O
per day, and run only ore hundred
miles"
Glow long do your men serve ms ire
men before In Y bee, me engineers
This also del ends ON the locality.
but the average is about three years.
In some places promotion is received
IN less time, while again in other
llaees firenien become engineers, stnne
in five months, Others moi i'll 10 years"
"Are locomotive engineers usually
temperate III their habits, ol total alb
slinence men?"
II cannot say as to that fact, al
though there has been great improve.
ment in that direction in the past
fifteen or twenty years, aud still think
there i, room for more"
"What are the regulations covering
the question of temperance in your
organization, or in the rules of the
railroads throughout the country"
"rhe Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers requires II man to be strict
~ temperate said Mr.. Youngson. IL
it ID proven that u member is intern
perale he is expelled from the organi-
cation. The rules uf the different
railroads has a policy, il not a set of
rules, covering the question. On the
New York Central Railroad an engi
neer as we'll MS other employees is not
permitted to board vt y place where
Liquor is sold. On many railroads
men are discharged for intemperance,
whether il occurs on or off duty, and
this custom prevails not alone in the
East, but in the West aud South AZ
WELL"
"Outside OF Americans what nation
aliiy is most largely represented a
mong the engineers of the United
States?"
"As a rule locomotive engineers are
Americans but there are a great many
foreigners as well. The Irish stands
next to The Americans IN number, and
almost all the other na~tionalities are
represented TO u greater or less degree"
Are locomotive engineers the most
prosperous Of railroad men?"
Il think so, unless an exception is
to be made in favor of passenger con.
dnctors. AS IA rule engineers have
steady work and good pay. 1t is true
that M engineer feels depression in
business sooue than any other class
Of employees except those in the train
service. II freight runs low there are
fewer trains to hanl. and the engineer
suffers a loss Of time. When an en-
gineer does not ~Vk he doaa not
receive paw"
"Daes tie fart speed attained on
railroad IN these days shorten tle He