The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-20
STRAIN ON THE MOTORNAN.
His Nerves Are on a Steady Tension
All Day.
Growth of Nervous Disease - The
Watchfulness to Prevent Collisions
and to Avoid Accidents Is Heart
breaking-The Other Mans Side.

break1ng-The Other M an Side
From the Philadelphia Press.
The street car conductors and the grip
and motormen have their trials and tribu-
lations the same as any ordinary indi-
viduaI 1t is not every man who would
make good street car conductor and it
is not every conductor who is good man,
but the small army of such employees is
not recruited from the ignorant walks of
life, by any means. The position is one
of trust A street car conductor handles
more money in day than clerks in stores
and is trusted for every cent he takes in
without the safeguards which hedge
about the business transactions of the
clerk. Street car companies depend upon
the honesty of their conductors. AS class
the conductors are intelligent men One
rarely sees a conductor under the inf1u-
euce of liquor when on duty. He must
keep a clear, cool head. He must not be
impolite 10 patrons and many of them are
fearfully exasperating. A conductor who
does not have an even temper and dis
eliminating Judgment cannot hold his job.
Above all, trained conductor becomes an
expert Judge of human nature. He meets
thousands of people every year. He knows
the mean man, who pinches a nickel, and
he knows the liberal spendthrift, who
wants the conductor to keep the change"
out of a quarter. He knows the poverty
of the poor little widow in black and
hates to take her fare, because he knows
that she can i'll spare even 3 cents from
her scanty earnings. So in time the con-
ductor learns every phase of human
nature and becomes cynical.
STRAIN ON THE MoToRMAY.
But it is the motorman or the gripnan
that stands tie blunt of the days work
OH the street cars. The strain on them to
prevent collisions and accidents is severe,
and is attested by a nervous disease which
has seized many in the eastern cities.
Let person ride on the front of street
car for a day or two, and he will wonder
that more fatal or serious accidents do
not occur every day. The great public
for which the street cars are running
seems TO have little or no realization of
the danger of collision with a grip or
motor. One has only to note how many
chances people take in crossing tracks in
front of moving cars or jumping on or off,
to have this fact impressed on his mind
The cars never move too fast TO suit the
persons who are riding upon them, but
it doesn't seem to make much difference
how slow or how fast, people
are always lodging them. fitting in front
or jumping on and off with reckless dis.
regard of the dangers of such undertake
ing. The motormen are always on the
watch it is few words they have TO say
TO the passenger In fact they are pre-
hibited from talking at all, but are re-
quired TO watch and act. Taking a 6
o'clock car coming up town when the tin
pail brigade begins to move toward their
places of employment, a reporter began
noting the actions of both the motoneers
and the people who came focking TO the
car. Every passenger seemed TO be in a
rush. some jumping on the car in the
middle of the block, others at the corner
Of the streets, before II could be brought
70 a stop, pushing and crowding IN their
eagerness TO secure a seat, regardless Of
the loss Of life and limb.
MEETING ExAsPERATISo DISTRACTIONS.
As the car moves up town all sorts Of
obstacles-are met with. The returning