Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-10-11
A NEW INDUSTRY.
Five Dollars Day For Falling In Front
OF Trolley Cars.

OF Trolley Cars.
4 small colored boy who wore neither
shoes nor stockings, and who had on
fewer clothes than would be required to
build an Asbury Park bathing suit, was
an inconspicuous feature Of a crowd Of
busy people at the corner Of Thirteenth
and Filbert streets yesterday afternoon.
His hat was a little bigger than dollar
bill, and a half smoked cigarette droop-
ed from one corner Of his .Uouth. His
self assurance was by long cAds the most
prominent part of him.
He walked along the south side Of
Filbert street to Thirteenth, and started
blithely across Thirteenth street. whis-
Ting "Sweot Marie" between puffs. A
car Of the Thirteenth and Fifteenth
street line came whizzing along, and
by the time it got to within a few feet
Of the boy the motorman had gone mad
ringing his bell The boy looked up sud
denly, dropped his cigarette, turned to
run one way, stopped, turned half
around in an apparent frenzy Of fright
and then the rapidly moving car struck
him.
A fat policeman started for an ambu-
lance call On dead run, and a score or
more Of people on the sidewalks closed
their eyes when the boy disappeared, go
ing apparently under the car. When
they opened them a second later, the
youngster was sitting calmly on the edge
Of the fender, looking back to see if the
wheels Of the car had run over his ciga-
rette.
There were people in the crowd who
had hoped for years to see genuine
trolley accident, and they turned away
with real disappointment on their faces.
The motorman and the passengers swore
at the boy, the spectators resumed their
Journey, and the fat policeman looked
into Director Beitler's book Of instruc
tons to see if he ought not to arrest
somebody. The small boy crawled out
of the fender, and as the car started up
town he placed his fingers to his nose
and wiggled them at the conductor.
He did it on purpose. The traction
companies pay him for doing it. His
performance is one Of the frequent evil
dences recently seen ON the street Of a
brand new industry.
The fun of lodging trolley cars,
which has added SO much to the agility
Of Philadelphians during the last cOu-
pie Of years, has just been augmented
by the positive delight Of falling in front
of them. Small boys are whitening the
hair Of every motorman in town by drop
ping unexpectedly in front of the cars
just for the exhilarating experience Of
being tossed in the bed Of fender. 1t
is something new even to the jaded
youngster, and elderly men who have
tried it say the sensation beats month
at the seashOre.
The thing was started by the trolley
companies in order to demonstrate in a
physical way to the people who like to
get hurt that the day of their usefulness
had passed.
Shortly after the introduction Of i'm
proved tenders on their cars the trolley
companies decided TO bring about a
number Of practical tests. They secured |
the services of a dozen robust men and
boys and turned them loose, with no
other instructions than 70 get in the way
of cars and be run over. Some Of the
men did not think we'll of their job at
first, but one after another tried it until
all Of them abandoned their previous
professions and took to bucking trolley
cars with an avidity that kept them
away from their meals.
The men and boys did so well that
they started a fashion of getting in
front of the cars, and it is difficult now
for a motorman to keep his track clear
To do the thing we'll requires peculiar
skill, and some Of those who have work
ed at it longest are extraordinarily pro-
fcient. 1t is a very easy thing for a
man to fall clumsily on the track, but
to do it in q way that will escape the |
detection Of the motorman and at the |
same time attract the attention Of all |
the bystanders in the vicinity is the work |
of an artist. The small colored boy is an |
adept at it.
The traction companies pay the men |
So day for their services, and the boys |
get 81 a day .-Philadelphia Times