The Portland daily press., 1896-01-04
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE CARS.
A Scar Filters" Experience During
Rush Hours.
He Looked Liked the Survivor of a Hard
Fought Death and Was AS Calm AS a
Veteran Trooper While He Told of the
Fray.
(Naw York Times. }


Of heer He was a manly looking fel.
low, but certainly had for this time be-
ing used-up appearance. 1t was evil
deut that he had been in scrimmage,
had participated in some kind of a battle
You could not tell exactly whether he
had worsted his adversary. Perhaps he
had been waylaid. He wore a uniform.
Ills coat, minus several buttons, told
hat the skirmish was recent one, be-
sause there were fresh tears in the cloth.
His cap was battered and shapeless. Ii
must have been knocked off and stamped
OIL. Across his face there were several
ugly scratches, one in particular extend
ing from his right ear to his nose. 1t was
still bleeding. The young man showed
no symptoms of anger or excitement, on
~ WEAKNESS. If he had been badly
handled he mad taken his punishment
Ikea man. Among those freouenting
the cellar there was one consumer of beer
distinguished for his philanthropy. He
always kept supply of court plaster
neatly folded up in his pocket book.
There never was any money in that pock-
ct book, only an abundance of coutt
paster. You can be humane for 10 cents
He invariably offered court plaster to
suffers. no matter whether man had
been run over by trolly car in Brook
Ign, or had been drowned, or had fallen
of scaffold, he always offered court
plaster. Court plaster was then at once
proffered to the young man with the
bleeding check, and it was politely de-
elined, even with a smile, and this is
what the man in the torn uniform said,
'tIf used court paaster, should have
to wear black mack on my face, be-
cause l get these scratches every day. It
was a brooch" and he lapsed into pro-
voking silence.
"How a brooch p was asked.
''She took me under the ear. But
bonnet pins are worse, because they
double up into you, and the jagged end
ia hard to get out. don't mind comb.
Those oelluloid things snap at once, but
a horn comb, or real tortoise shell
comb hurts. Those safety pins women
r used to wear to hold up their skirts with
were simply internal machines. You
never could tell Whit they were going to
do. I used to think gloves were of no
use, but couldn't work now without
them. | have mine made with double
palm, or my hands would be everlasting
u crippled. Some fellows tried rubber
gloves but they were soon played out. y
still it was not clear what might be
he young mans profession.
II is only the women that are really
dangerous, he continued, "and yet,
10 CALAMITY added, 81 owe them no
gludge. You can take a man, il you
know hcw, and he will stand any
amount OF boosting and it makes no mat
ter. but you must use precautions with
woman. They hang back so. You
never can tell exactly what they are up
to. You must get them in, and it's an
art how to do it with the least amount of
hurt to them. 1t takes years of practice.
"Of course you have to look out for
woman who is dressed like porcupine,
with quilts asticking out all over her.
It's nice thing to know at a glance
what a woman weighs, SO as to bring ex-
aotly the proper strength to bear. Ger
tainly some Of them don't like it-and 1
don't wonder at that-and they are cruel
at times and give you "a piece Of their
mind'-that's what they call it-but be-
fore they know it off they are-none the
worse-and a-going at the rate of four
miles an hour. Occasionally there are
spiteful wonen-mostly old maids, take
them to be, for one of them declared a
week ago that she was going to sew
around her waist whole lot of razors,
for she wanted to find out why I would
keep on showing her about in that dis
gushing way I didn't spot her partiou-
larly, only something or other yesterday
out my uniform coat through to the skin
"a regular slash. I fancy must have
caught hold of that armed woman, but
she went on her way all the same"
The young man showed no temper, but
talked on in resigned kind Of way.
"But pray, enlighten us further
What is exactly the nature of your bust
ness or dutiesi'' was asked.
Business! I am filler" said the
young man.
SIN tobaccoW
emo. fill in another way. My bust
ness is to fill cars T have to cram and
jam any number of people from 100 to 200
into bridge car which is made to seat
about 40 persons. handle several mil
lions of people during the year. There
you are, 1000 people pushing, struggling
on the platform and all fighting to get
into the narrow opening of a car in
about Is seconds Of time Mostly they
come with a rush. You are bound to
help them to the best of your ability.
They don't behave on the Brooklyn
bridge as If they were in ball room.
You have to think of them and to treat
them just as if they were cattle. You
have to herd them. You keep them NOV
ing. Once started, you can't check
them. There is no hanging back. You
have to watch close all the time. If any
body fell on the track and got killed, or
was dragged by being caught to a car
fixing, should be held responsible I
have to yank, jerk. fling, drive people in
order to save their lives
II used to say my prayers before rush
hours on the Brooklyn bridge, but may
be am grown calIous, seeing it every
day. But it's a-tellng on my nerves, gen
H.