The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-06-17
MUST BE DIPLOMAT.
NO OTHER KIND OF MAN CAN BE A
SLEEPING CAR CONDUCTOR.


Not Only Kickers Mt Large, but Snorers,
Somnanbulists and Takers vcx the Long
Watches of lis Night-Rigid Examina-
ton of Applicants For the Position.
No man who is not born diplomat
need apply for a position as sleeping
car conductor. 1t will be time lost for
him. He may have all the other quail
ties that would make him a success at
anything else, but unless he has that
peculiar and indefnable ability to get
along we'll with all sorts and conditions
of men, which is called diplomacy for
want OF better term, he had better
keep off tho sleeping cars and take up
something easier, such as law, medicine
or the ministry.
Few of the thousands who nightly
sleep at the rate of 10 miles an hour or
whereabouts realize how well the man
who has charge of the car in which they
sleep looks after their comfort directly
and Indirectly. They think it is all the
work Of the porter, whom they reward
accordingly with tips. Tho conductor
doesn't get many tips. He has the res
sponsibility, which is a poor substitute
and he has his wages, which are good
wages, to be sure, but he earns all that
he gets. If no thinks he doesn't get
enough, there are hundreds of others
ready and eager to take his place
During this year." says an official
Of the Wagner Car company, eve have
had, I should say close to a thousand
rejected applicants for every one accept
cd. The tests, though not iroabound as
to form, are pretty rigid. In the first
place, the candidate must have letters Of
recommendation. IF these are saisfacto-
~, he makes out an application blank,
which gives us some idea Of his educa-
tional limitations This being satisfac-
tory, he is talked to by some one Of the
officers and told to return in a day or
two, when he has another consultation
with other officials who put to him such
questions as they desire
''In this way we get some inlzling Of
the mans neutrality-suspicious. he is
of good appearance, intelligent, polite,
easy in manner and of good address.
These are very important matters and
fail here. The successful candidate goes
on tho waiting list, and when his turn
comes he is sent out under the care Of
some old conductor to learn the ropes.
First last and all the time he is in
structed tobe courteous to his passengers
and attentive to their wants. Often q
man fails, for some unforeseen cause, to
become good conductor after he has
been trieG. Really first class men are
hard to get, but we keep on trying can
didates until we find the right one. On
entering our employ the man is required
to furnish bonds for $500. Our men are
usually bonded by security company
They get from S75 to 500 month
wages and from this buy their own uni
for1ns.''
Having secured bonds, a uniform and
experience, the candidate becomes a full
f1edged conductor. Here his troubles be-
gin. His duties are many, but he soon
gets used to those. He must in the first
place LOOK aLUrI oIUopIlIS CAR UIUAcus,
and at night must take the train tickets
as well, handing them over to the train
conductorint the morning. Then he must
look after the car in general, keep an
eye on the porters, apportion the berths
properly, O nowise easy matter some
times, and see that the temperature and
atmosphere of the cars are all right.
He must be up and moving at every
station where passengers are likely to
board the train, answer any number OF
questions, be prepared to take charge OF
matters in case of breakdown or other
accident, furnishing full report later
to the company, see that the passengers
are all informed Of the whereabouts OF
the dining car in the morning, wake
them up in time, act as arbitrator in
cases of difficulty between passenger and
passengeror between passenger and por-
ter and do thousand other little things
that cause wear and tear on his brain.
But these are not the matters that
bother him. It is the personal eccen-
tricAsies Of the passengers themselves
which turn the conductors hair gray.
Some one once said that TO know man
as he really is you must travel with
him. A conductor will tell you that tc
know man as he really oughtn't to be
YOU nust travel with him in sleeping
car In general, those who travel by
nightmay be divided into three classes
First-Those who sleep themselve!
and let other people sleep.
Secona-Thoste who sleep themselve'
and keep other pfople awake.
Third-Those, who don't sleep them
selves and won r5uet anybody else sleep
1t might be supposed that there is on
other class-vhh those who lie awak
themselves and hetother people sleep
but these specimens are SO rare as not t.
form class. [El1ey are abnormal, Xix
white crows or two headed calves. (
Wagner conduc bon, who has grown grs,
in the service, says that be never knew
but one of this kind, and he was an in
sane prisoner in charge of two officers
He fulfilled the conditions because h
wasbcund. gagged and shackled. -Ney
York'Oun.
Iseason Enough.
A New York woman told the follow
ing lirtle6ncideut the other day: II we
M :, xr,c,,,,sn zrrtF,-e.s,a 1,ar1or mpetino