The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-12-19
An Engineers Life.

The "CEica9o Flyer" which covers
the nine hundred and siXty-tour miles
between New York and Chicago III
t,ycnty-four hours including nine stops,
is pulled by seven huge cn@jrcs IN
relays driven by seven engineers III
success ION. From an article III Nc
Clure's Magazine We cQndensc the fol-
lowing.
A run Of less than one hundred and
fifty miles Is the limit per day for each
cnnInc while three hours Of the piuu9-
ln@ rush wears out the strongest cn"i-
nccr. sixty. seventy eighty miles an
hour-what does that mean to the man
at the throttle: 1t means that the SIX
and half feet drivers turn five times
every second and advance one hundred
feet 1Ic-tic-tic and the train has run the
length Of New IOrk's highest stccp!c.
The engineer turns his head for five sec
Ouds to look at the gauges. and AZ that
time the terrible iron creature has been
putting forth the strength Ola thousand
horses, may have shot past a red sig
nal with It's dangers warning live hun
drcd feet away. Not only must he
note instantly all that IS before him,
the signals, switches, bridges, the pass
inI trains and the condition Of the rails,
but he must act al the same moment,
working throttle, air brakes, or rcvcra-
Ing-lcycr, not a. quick as thought. but
quicker, for there Is no time to think.
His muscle must do the right thing au-
tomatlcally under circumstances where
Il second is an age.
In addition to this constant mental
tension the engineer on this hurting
train has TO endure material discomfort,
often bodily suffering. The air sweeps
back in his fUcc with the breath of IL
hurricane blowing smoke and cindcrs
into his eyes. Most people know the IN
tense pain one causes III a mans eye,
particularly a hot cinder. The su Ter
ing..is almost unbcarable, and yet suffer
in. or no suffering, the engineer who
gets a cinder i'll his eye can have no
relief until the end of his relay. at
seems as if nothing would rest my
eyes, sir said one of the new men af-
ter his first week on the flyer. No
wonder the cycsight Of engineers fails
rapidly; no wonder many of them are
removed from their positions every
year because the cXaminiu" doctors
find them unable to distinguish the
signals. The engineer suffers also
from the plunging aud tossing of the
monster locomotive, which bruises his
whole body with its violent rocking
and causes sharp pains i'll the back,
particularly where there is any tend
cncy to kidney trouble. One has only
to watch these strong men as they
stumble down from their engines at the
end of their relay, has only to observe
Their white faces and unsteady gait, aud
see the condition of physical collapse
which follows to understand what it
costs in vitality and grit to drive a
fast engine.
Thus it is that while the New York
crs get TO with Chicago scarcely more
discomfort than if they had stayed at
home the same journey wears out seven
engineers, all picked men, for many of
them who have seen years of service
on trains running forty miles break
down entirely when put upon the flyer
30 exhausted are these seven engineers
by their comparatively short relays
that they are obliged to lay oil entire
ly during the following day TO recover
from the shock. They do not even
take the opposite flyer back over
their stretch, but return with their en-
glnes to their respective starting
points drawing slow trains. Thus
seven stron" men do two days work
every time the flyer runs from New
ork to Chicago, and seven other men
do two days work every time it runs
back. Each engineer works three
hours on the flyer" returns home on
an easy train, and then rests forty
hours before his muscles and brain
are in condition TO repeat the opera
ton.