San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-03-19
"SNIPEY."
Written for the Light.

written Tor tne LlgnJ.
Having resided for several years
opposite a section house on the /.
and G. n. r. Road, it has been to
my interest, through close observa-
ton to become thoroughly &C
quainted with the habits, and
peculiarities of King Snipes, a
name somewhat jeerlngly given by
higher officials Of the railroad to
common laborers along the line.
Webster gives the definition
small bird, to the word Snipe, and
the section hand so dubbed we
think highly applicable, and hum
bly, suggest that the original giver
be presented with at least an an
nual FREQ pass. The railroad is
composed of divisions and sections
the latter beirg managed every
eight or ten miles by five or six
men, who with the aid OF hand
Car daily prOpel themselves up
and down the road, in diligent
search of broken rails, rotten ties
etc., meanwhile always keeping an
active lookout, for fear OF a col
lision from an advancing freight
train. These snipes are OF all ma
tionalities, from the venerable
gray-haired paddy on the brink of
the grave down to the Mexican
greaser, while lately the thick
Tipped Negro is gradually assum-
ing great railroad responsibilities.
Their ordinary working attire dur
ing the week usually consists of a
SLOUGH hat, duck trousers and
"biled Shirt" the latter in summer,
invariably ranging with the Their
mometer, or worn suitably a la
Father Hubbard. AS they cheat
their washer woman by washing
their own clothes upon the Sabbath,
their toilet upon that day is about
the same as any other with the ad-
ton, perhaps, Of a short coat,
called a jumper, and an immense
red cowboy handkerchief that al
ways escapes and flies at full MAJ t |
from his hip pocket behind, giving
to the snipe anything but fasti-
dious look. Each gang has its boss
or foreman, who is but another
correct illustration OF the snipe, |
and from the huge Waterbury
watch he sports that always man
aged to keep time alternately, more
over from his choice vocabulary Of
oaths and the great authority he |
exercises over the rest Of the gang,
it is to be wisely presumed, that
his knowledge of railrOading is far |
to the average plebeian |
snipe. These men, although indie
fatigable wOrkmen, never hurry |
through life, nor have they |
ever been known to accel-
crate their movements while
out on the road except it |
be when the roadmaster to ms Dect
comes down a near cut like wolf |
on the fOld," when one would think
that "Holy st. Patrick" himself |
had dropped from the clouds, so
active and reverential |
those Irish paddles become. The
roadmaster is treated with great |
pomp and reverence by all snipe
dom. Many poor snipe when out
Of the city limits, can be seen daily |
breathlessly rushing to the nearest
grocery where he will spend his /
last nickel for cigar with which |
to treat his Railroad Excellency.
When sober the snipe is a quiet, |
inoffensive kind of a bird; he has
no particular religion, no love af-
fairs, and can boast OF no enemies
save the bed bug and the bottle,
from one of which he may be con-
sidered equally as migratory as for
the other. So uncongenial are I'll e |
snipe's relations toward the bug. |
that | have been frequently |
amused at evening-tide to see a
whole gang Of sleepy eXasperated
snipes, slowly shoulder a tattered
comfort apiece, and file their way |
half mile to sleep all night upon
an old fOrsaken, spider haunted,
railroad platform. When he has no
access to city life, the snipe
after a long debauch can
we'll sober down on such
patent medicines as DR.. Harter's
Iron Tonic, McLean's Strengthen
ing Cordial, etc. ETC., and although,
containing much greater cathartic
than alcoholic principles, the snipe
has been known to swallow twelve
bottles OF DR.. Harter's Bitters in
single day and go to work the next.
Bill Nye himself could but family
p ray the wild and eccentric
gyrations Of a drunken section
boss. He roams around at ran
dom, works at leisure and
lives in mortal horror Of
being "fired." A drunken
boss, while in all his glory, has