The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-16
AMONG THE RAILROAD MEN
A Contrast Between Eastern Rail-
readers and Western.
ENTERTAINING LETTER ABOUT 1T.

Some Pointers for Kansas Railroad
Men to Take Note Of-AEiseeI1aneOus
Railroad News.
A we'll known Kansas man who is now
visiting at York. Pa, writes the STATE
JOURNAL an interesting letter about rail-
road men in the east and in the west. He
says:
at was the privilege of your cores
pondent to meet many railroad men and
we talked considerably on the question
of wages. In Kansas engineers are paid
one-third more than in Pennsylvania. 1t
is SO of firemen and brakemen and in
deed of all other departments of the ser
vice. Conductors have short runs and
very insignificant 1ay- overs Railroad
ing NAV be harder in the west than in
the east, but it seemed to me far more
attractive. The conclusion is inevitable
that railroad people in Kansas are well
taken care of in all respects. They have
social standing and an influence which
they cannot have in the east A brakeman
on the Santa Fe or Rock Island in Kan
sas has better job and exerts a wider
influence than a conductor on the Penn
syIvania railroad
"Ir is amusing to hear Pennsylvanians
talk about railroads. They think there
is only one railroad in tho world; that is,
of course, the Pennsylvania railroad. We
in Kansas are probably as conceited as
they are. for when we talk of railroads we
think mainly of two, the Santa Fe and
the Rock Island. tried to overwhelm
some of these people with the Santa Fe.
but their conclusion was that it wasn't in
it with eastern roads.
THE statistics show that there is far
less risk on western roads than on east
eru. Ofcourse we know this is true of prai-
ri country Cnru with a 1o1lutaiD
country. In Kansas there are few
curves, and trains may be seen for miles;
hence in Kansas comparatively few en-
ployes are killed in the service. l found
an old engineer in Pennsylvania, who
had fair intelligence. and admitted the
fact, that railroading from Dodge City to
La Junta on the Santa Fe was the fair
est safest and best railroad Job in the
United States ! believe he was right,
for, if you can find a more rugged set of
men, with brighter countenances, broad
er minds, sweeter wives and better look
ing on any other road than the Santa Fe,
your correspondent would like to see
them.
RAILROAD men in the west have more
privileges than in the east. In the west
it is quite common to find a brakeman,
who owns the read, and more common
still to- find pea nutters who make time
cards The newsboy in the east is surely
q curtailed influence; he sells papers,
books and chewing gum, but he can't
take up half a car by his commodities
and boss train by his swagger.
When was boy was overwhelmed
by the diamonds worn by the conductors
looked for them on this trip, but alas!
they didn't show up. A conductor
down east is much more hum BILE than
he used to be in the pristine days of rail-
reading, when his entrance into a car
was accompanied by look, which said
TO the trembling passengers:
PAY me homage, you common trash"
! saw one diamond in the shirt of con-
ductor on the P. R. R. but it wasn't |
consideration along side of the one worn |
by that intensely nervous and efficient |
Santa Fe man, who runs from Kansas |
City to Dodge City.
"fhere is a conclusion, from this letter |
which your correspondent would like to |
see adopted by every one in Kansas:
elf man has a good railroad job in J
Kansas. he had better hold it by fidelity |
and honesty, for your correspondent has
9onrneyed through twenty-Oue states of
ths union, and he has not found railroad