Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-28

train IN. and in q calm voice asked them
not to do 1t again. They thought II a great
lark and laughed In Jim's face. The train
had gotten under good Roadway again and
Jims back was hardly turned when the
trick was repeated. Here are Jim's words
In telling Of the scene that followed:
We'll, Cap, when / noticed the train
No II was right on our heels nee s and to stop
at that point was taking mighty big
chances. So I pulled the go-ahead signal
and. as that big fellow over there stood In
my right. AS he went down his partner
made at me with a cane and had to floor
him also. I would have put them of the
train without using unnecessary violence
but II was too risky to STOP
IAN 1 said to Jim was that he didn't hit
them hard enough, and the men left my
office swearing vengeance, but I never heard
Of them afterward.
There are many other species OF the fool
killer among the travelling public, but
can't recall them all just now. There's the
man who gets on the wrong train and
Jumps OF as soon as he discovers his mis-
take no matter at what speed the train
may be running: and the man that hangs
out the car window waiting to be struck
by some chance projection a. his train
speeds along.
Careless Employees.
'"The railroad employees furnish another
class Of fool-killers,' and, under the cir
cumstances, ] think they are the most re-
markable. A person would think that their
dangerous work would make them exceed
ingly sharp and cautious, but the contrary
seems to be the rule. At times they will
plead guilty to transactions that would APP
pear foolish to an idiot The worst Of this
class Is the brakeman who uses q heavy
stick to tighten up the brakes. He will
never take advice and seldom preserves
enough Of his anatomy to learn through
experience. The company does not ask q
man to do more than he can accomplish
with his hands in the matter Of setting the
brakes. Have you ever pulled hard on a
rope and have II suddenly break? Well,
that is mild sensation compared with a
breaking brake rigging under the pressure
Of a stout stick leverage. The man has
thrown all his weight on the brake wheel;
the train is jolting from side to side under
high rate Of speed. and then the chain
parts. 1t can very easily be seen what lit
tie chance that brakeman has Of gathering
further experience in railroading after the
mishap.
Another fool In the employee class is the
man that works on a shifting engine and
thinks 1t looks smart to stand in the middle
Of the track and mount the little platform
in front of the engine AS II comes toward
him. He can do this trick a thousand
times. but he dare not miss 1t once It's
they have to grin and bear II.
Then there's the little fussy official who
thinks he knows how to couple cars be-
cause he is connected with the railroad.
Whenever see one of this class 20 In be-
tween the cars to couple up. ] FIRST yell to
him to come out. and then. II he doesn't
hear me, start for a telephone to call down
the company's physician.
ITO take them in rotation, I would put
the engineer in the fool class who goes
under his engine to make repairs without
telling anyone about # The conductor who
will start back over his train In the dusk
of the evening without his lantern. The
fireman who will try to feed an engine coal
without bracing himself against the side Of
the tender. The fagman who will allow
himself to fall asleep In his little caboose
when there is another train following on
the same schedule. The brakeman have
already classified. A great many Of the
track walkers and repair hands come under
the 'fool-killer' head. as they VIII persist IN
staying on the track In front Of an ap-
preaching train until the last inch has been
covered Sometimes their calculations are
faulty and then . vacancy occurs In the
force"