Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-05-02
TRAINING GRIPMEN.
BREAKING IN COUNTRYMEN FOR CITY
RAILWAY SERVICE.


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 at the end of the route for
cup of coffee and a sandwich in the all
night restaurant.
''Why, from the country, most of
them. These fellows who are raised on
cigarettes and beer in the city don't
seem to have the muscle necessary to
throw on the brake and stop the train
on a down grade. Then again a country
man is mighty careful about going
through the streets. He's afraid that ev-
cry man he sees step off the pavement is
going to be run over, and he is absolute
ly certain that every team that comes
out from cross street is going to collide
years to get over this fear, and then, as
he becomes 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
i'll another countryman.
"How do they break them in?"
well, they are mighty careful with
them. A new man on the grip is about
the worst scared object in the world.
Talk about your condemned man being
scared when he's walking out to be
hanged-why, his sensations amt in it
with the man who's running grip Car
for the first time. To be sure, an expert
enced gripman is ON 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 off
the grip Car, 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 'em
good and sore, 1 tell you.
''There's something funny about
braking up grip car. I came from the
country to my job, but wasn't always
plowboy. When I was young fellow,
l used to work in country printing Of
flee, 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, l can't tell you anything about it,
except that if you don't know the trick
yypI1 " tbrpxv OR and
preston no more than q rabbit. You
may have a muscle like blacksmith,
but if you don't know the knack you
can't pull the lever over, but if you are
on to the trick, and don't weigh more n
80 pounds, you can throw her around
just like lightning and make 600 i'm
pressions an hour-that is, if you We got
a good devil to do your mixing.
"Well, as I was saying. that's just
like braking up a grip Car. Some big
fellows weighing 200 pounds, with mus
Giles on them like Fitzsimmons, go out
Oh one Of these grips with two coaches
behind 'em, and the way they brake 'er
up makes all the passengers think they
have gone 80 sea. Then a little fellow,
who don't look heavy enough to handle
q team of mules attached to sulky
pillow, gets job on the road, and he
grabs that old grip like drum major
throwing baton, and he'll get the
knack of the thing right quick, and when
he brakes 'er up the passengers think
is just starting.
"But while he may he throwing ON
the brakes all right he's kind of off his
pins when it comes to hearing the two
bells for go ahead. You see, new man
can't do everything at once. Takes
about a week to get the shiver off, and
during that time Il regular gripman runs
with tie new man, keeping a sharp look
out. Then the new man, after his week,
goes to the superintendent and has to
pass an examination. They ask him all
about the signals, and where other cars
cross, and where the dead men are
dead mans a block you strike if you
don't let 60 the cable where you have
to, and if you ever strike dead man
your jobs gone, no ifs and ands about
it-and all about the street and so Oh.
Well, if 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 q uniform and an overcoat,
and there you arches a gripman, ready
for 20 degrees below zero and 100 de-
grees above zero and his little old 50 a
day.
"The company's breaking in six new
gripmen on the Fourteenth street line
right now. Two CT tho old men died
and couple quit. Each line always
keeps about dozen extra gripmen on
hand ready for an emergency, SO they're
breaking in these new ones One of the
new boys had an accident at Ninth and
the avenue the other afternoon. Ran
into all Anacostia bobtail car. BY GIN
ger, thought he was going to knock
tho thing clear to the Good Hope hill,
but he didn't. Scared? Well, the pas
scared as no was He could hardly get
off the grip TO pick up the pieces of the
fender. Ed thought he was as good as
fired, but the company never said moth
ing. Guess they thought they was lucky
to get off with as little damage. And
besides al accident right at the start
makes a gripman extra careful for all
the rest Of the time. "-Washington
Post.
All Hope Gone.
Mr.. Fiahlcy-J. told me that he nov
er knew what it was to be happy up to
the time Of his marriage