The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-03
A ScOrcher Who Is Not of
the Bicycle Kind.
He Menaces Life and Limb
and Needs Attention.
Engineers Are Again Discussing An
Examining Board.

The bicycle scorcher isn't the only one
who menaces the lives and the limbs OF
the people. There is another and equally
dangerous individual. lie Is generally
the driver of market or grocery wagon,
and is usually a boy who is in the
adolescent stage of development. For utter
recklessness, some OF these young drivers
can give points TO tho most confirmed
and incorrigible scorcher. The tactics OF
each of this class of youthful are always
the same. They sit upon the wagon seat
with legs hanging down from the ends
or in front SO that they may be employ
ed in kicking the horse into faster
gait when some pedestrian starts 10 cross
the roadway. The whip, too, is seldom
out of their bands, and they apply 1t
with a vigor that ought to rouse the re-
sentiment OF the most even tempered ami
NAL that ever wore harness
And thus they go rattling and rushing
through crowded thoroughtares at
pace tnat threatens destruction at every
hand and makes foot passengers turn
pale at tho narrowness OF their escape
from being bowled over. Quite frequently
their mad onrush is accompanied by
wild whoop hat causes consternation,
which seems to be the main purpose of
their Iecklessness. Saturday evening,
while it was still broad daylight, one Cf
these Apaches of the street rode down
young child over on the East side, and
Il wasn't the fault OF the driver that The
xittie life was not crushed out on the IN
slant. Almosl daily there are SIMILAR oc-
currences, ara it would seem that the
police might find time to put stop TO
a practice so unlawful and dangerous.
These young and reckless drivers should
be brought up with round turn and
taught that their antics of drunken cow
boys cannot be INDUCED In here with
impunity.
Local engineers continue to discuss the
question OF the establishment of a board
TO examine ana license persons who have
charge Of steam plants. This is sub
ject that has been periodically agitated
for more than 10 years, but nothing has
been accomplished as yet. gentleman
who Is deeply interested In the matter
told The Gossiper last evening that
another and systematic effort is to be
made to obtain from the Legislature at
it's next session a law that Will compel
all engineers to pass an examination TO
determine their fitness. lie rays there
is strong feeling among the competent
men In favor of such law, AMI that ii
Is only the incompetent ones, those who
have sneaked into the business without
other qualification to recommend them
than an impudeht confidence in tnem-
selves, who object to the proposed legis-
Ia tion.
III discussing the matter he said: "Ihe
people would be surprised IL they knew
how small proportion OF tho whole the
really competent and capable engineers
constitute. 1t seems as II every man.who
has been in a place where steam power Is
used for few days or weeks gets n
notion that be knows the business thor
oughiy, and you find him an eager APP
plicant for every position that presents
itself afterward. Ihe worst feature of II
is that in mejority OF cases he gets the
job, because he is willing to work for a
good deal less money than the ex-
perienced engineer. This compel ition
between ignorant presumption and real
merit has the effect OF reducing wages all
along the line, so that the trained en-
gineer finds himself earning only as much
as a man who is novice at the business,
and ignorant of many OF Its most es-
sential details. That's unfair, OF course,
but there Is no remedy for 1t SO long as
ignofemuses are permitted to fill places
in which their ignorance may at any
time cause disaster lnvolv ing the loss
OF many lives.
The State has been careful to guard
the people against ignorance or inoom-
petence on the part CT druggists. The
man WHO nishes TO become pharmacist
must pur,ue course OF Apprenticeship
and then show his fitness by rigid ex-
animation. Now an ignorant or incom-
petont druggist might kill one person
through improperly compounding pre-
scription, but his power of destruction
would end there. With an incompetent
and ignorant engineer in one OF our large
industrial plants where hundreds OF
people are employed the case would toe
different. An explosion in such case
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