, 1896-04-15
TRAINING GRIPMEN.
BREAKING ~ couNTRvMEN FOR CITY
RAILWAY SERVICE.


Yoass Farmer Maks ths Bsss oriPnsa
sa Aeeo.nt Of Their ssrsagth md Caa-
tioa-A Situation That require Cless
Attention and Plenty Of Nerve.
"Where do the gripmen come from"
, strong armed. blue uniformed en-
ployee Of the Washington and George
town railway was asked last night as he
left his car ut the end of the route for Q
cup Of coffee and q sandwich in the all
night restaurant.
why, from the country, most Of
them. These fellows who are raised OF
cigarettes and beer In the city don't
seem to have the muscle necessary to
throw on the brake and stop the train
on q down grade. Then again a country
man is mighty careful about going
through the streets. He's afraid that ev-
cry man he secs step off the pavement is
going to be run over. and he is absolute
ly certain that every team that comes
out from across street is going to collide
with him. 1t takes him about two
years to get over this fear, and then. as
he becomes a little careless, he has few
accidents that smash up Tenders and take
the paint off the coaches. and then he
gets fired, and the road is ready to break
in another c%ountryman."
"How do they break them in?"
We'll, they are mighty careful with
them. A new man on the grip il about
the worst scared object in the world.
Talk about your condemned man being
scared when he's walking ont to be
hanRed-why, his sensations amt in it
with the man who's running a grip car
for the first time. To be sure, an expert
enced gripman is OIL the car right be-
side him, ready to throw on the brakes
and sound the lookout bell. But be-
tween the grip, and the wheel brake,
and the track brake. and the go ahead
and stop signals, and the look out
bells, and the people jumping on and of
the grip cal, your new gripman just gets
seasick. They say they don't mind it.
but they're talking through their bon
nets, that's all. Then. another thing.
the way they throw on the brake yanks
their arms out Of joint and makes EN-
good and sore, l tell you.
THERE'S something funny about
braking up a grip car. I came from the
country to my job, but I wasn't always
a plowboy. When Twas a young fellow,
! used to work in a country printing Of
fee, and used to have to run a Washing
ton hand press. Ever run a Washington
hand press-you're in the newspaper
business? What Never run one? Well,
then, I can't tell You anything about it.
except that if You don't know the trick
you can't throw 'er over and get an i'm
preston no more than a rabbit. You
may have q muscle like a blacksmith,
but if you don't know the knack you
can't pull the lever over, but if you are
onto the trick. and don't weigh more'n
90 pounds. you can throw her around
just like lightning and make 600 i'm
pressions an hour-that ia. il you've got
. good devil to do your linking.
"Well, as I was saying. that's just
like braking up a grip car. Some big
fellows weighing 200 pounds, with mus.
cles on them like Fitzsimmons, go ont
on M Of these grips with two coaches
behind 'em. and the way they brake 'er
up makes all the passengers think they
have gone to sea. Then o little fellow,
who don't look heavy enough to handle
. team Of mules attached to a milky
pillow, gets a job ON the road. and be
grabs that old grip like . drum majo.
throwing q baton. and he'll get the
knack Of the thing right quick, and when
he brakes 'er up the passengers think
that the first waltz at the Charity ball
is just starting.
"But while he may no throwing on
the brakes all right he's kind Of of his
pins when it comes to bearing the two
bells for go ahead. You see. a new man
can't do everything at once. Takes
about = week to get the shiver off, and
during that time . regular gripman run
with the new man. keeping a sharp look
oot. Then the new man, after his week,
goea to the superintendent and has to
pass a. examination. They ask him all
about the signais. and where other cars
Cross. aid where the dead mem are
dead mans block you strike IL you
don't let 60 the cable where you have
70. and II you 9 strike = dead man
your jobs gone, nc IFS and ands about
it-and all about the street and 60 on.
Well. il the new man passes the exami-
nation, he puts up $40, and they give
him = certificate, and he can go and put
that up for 4 uniform and an o~vercoat.
and there you are-he'sa gripman, ready
for 30 degrees below zero and 100 de-
erees above sero and his little old % a
day.
"The oompany's breaking in six new
gfipmen On the fourteenth street line
right now. Two Of the old men died
and . couple quit Each line always
keeps about q dosen extra gripmen on
hand ready for m emergency, 70 they're
breaking in these new ones. One Of the
new boys had an accident ut Ninth and
the aveuue the other afternoon. Ran
into an Anacostia bobtail car. By gin
ger, I thought he was. going to knock
the thing clear to the Good Hope hill.
but he didn't. Scared? Well. the pas
sensers ON the bobtail wasn't half n
scared ~ no was. He could hardly get
OF tbs grip to pick mp the pieces Of the
fender. He Thought he Was as good %
fred, bat the company nev said moth
Ing. Guess they thought they was lucky
10 get OF with a little damage. And
besides N accident right 1t tho start
makes Z sripinan extra careful for al
IL ret Of the time. "-Washingeou
Pa
All HOE osas.
II. J1ahlsy-J. told me that b ~
= knnv What II Wos 70 b happy up %