Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-05-05
TRAINING GRIPMEN.
sREAklNe IN coUNTRYMEN FOR CITY
RAILWAY SERVICE.

onE nv SOOfN " fWG'N O'' III
RAILWAY SERVICE.
Tound Farmers Make the Best Gripmcu
On account OF Their strength and Csu-
tion "A situation That Requires Close
Atttniion and Plenty Of Nerve.
where do the gripmen come fromF
a string armed. blue uniformed en-
ployel Of the Washington and George
town Railway was asked last night as he
left his car mt the end OF the route for
cup o coffee and sandwich in the all
night restaurant.
"Wby, from the country, most OF
them.I 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 down grade. Then again country
man is mighty careful about going
throukh the streets He's afraid that ev-
cry mkn he sees step off the pavement Is
goingito be run over, and he Is absolute
ly certain that every team that comes
out fHDm cross street is going to collide
with him. II takes him about two
years to get over this fear. and then, as
he becomes little careless, he has few
acciddn dnts that smash up tenders and take
the hint off the coaches, and then he
gets fred. and the road is ready TO break
III an!iher countryman.
"Hbw do they break them ipF'
"Wkll, they are mighty careful with
them A new man ON the grip IL about
the wbyst scared object in the world.
Talk tbout your condemned man being
scared when he's walking ont 10 ba
hangsI sIi-why. his sensations amt IN 1t
with he man who's running grip car
for thb first time To be sure, an expert
ncedlgripman is ON the ear right be-
side him. ready TO throw on the brakes
and sbund the lookout bell But be-
twecr the grip, and the wheel brake,
and ,bc track brake, and the go ahead
and ttop' signals, and the look ont
bells. bnd the people jumping on and OF
the gIp car. your new gripman jnst gets
seaSicE. They say they don't mind II,
but tbey're talking through their bon
uets. hats all. Then. another thing,
the why they throw on the brake yanks
their arms out Of joint and makes 'em
good Ind sore. ! tell you.
IT bore's something funny about
brakilg up grip car. came from tn"
county to my job, but / wasn't always
plot tboy. When Twas n young fellow,
/ use 20 work in u country printing Of
fee, abd used to have TO run Washing
ton h Ind press. Ever run Washington
hand press-you're in the newspaper
busiulss! Wha, Never run one: Well.
then. I can't tell you anything about 1t,
except that II you don't know the trick
you ctn't throw 'er over and get an i'm
press |n no more than a rabbit You
may lave muscle like blacksmith,
but it you don't know the knack you
can Ipull the lever over, but II you ara
ON tothe trick. and don't weigh more n
90 pinnds. you can throw her around
Just like lightning and make 900 i'm
press |ons an hour-that is. If you've gos
a goOb devil 10 do your linking.
"Wlell. as / was saying. that's just
like braking up grip car. Some big
fellow : weighing 200 pounds, with mus
cles oh them like Fitzsimmons, go ont
on onb Of these grips with two coaches
betinb en-, and the way they brake 'er
up III lkes all the passengers think they
have gone to sea. Then little fellow,
who dent look heavy enough 10 handle
a team Of mules attached 80 suiky
plow. gets n job on the road, and he
grahs|that old grip like drum major
throwing baton, and he'll get tho
knacl| of the thing right quick, and when
he bl|akes 'er up the passengers think
that khe first waltz ut the Charity ball
is jus starting.
''Blt while he may he throwing on
the bl| l|akes all right he's kind Of off his
pins khen il comes To hearing the two
bells tor 20 ahead. You zee, new man
can't do everything at once. Takes
about week 10 get the shiver off, and
duriuE that time regular gripman runs
with the new man. keeping sharp look
ont. lhen the new man, after his week,
goes to the superintendent and has to
pass s|n examination. They ask him all
about, the signals, and where other cars
crcss. and where the dead men are
dead mans block you strike II you
don'tI let 90 the cable where you have
10, arid il you ever strike dead man
your hobs gone, no ifs and ands abous
it-alkd all about the street and so on.
Well, if the new man passes the exami-
natiob, he puts up $40, and they give
him d certificate, and he can go and put
that ,lp for uniform and an overcoat.
and II Iere y.'l arches gripman, ready
for 10 d. .ees below zero and 100 de-
crees abnye zero and mis- little old 81
day.
1.-The company's breaking in six new
pripuIen ON the Fourteenth street line
right now. Two Of the old men died
and couple quit Each line always
keeps about dozen extra gripmen ON
hand ready for an emergency, so they re
breakf fng in these new ones. One OF the
new boys had an accident at Ninth and
the venue the other afternoon. Ran
into hn Anacostia bobtail car. By gin
ger, thought he was going to knock
the thing clear to the Good Hope hill,
but he didn't Scared? Well. the pas
sengets OH the bobtail wasn't half AZ
scared as he was. He could hardly get
off the grip to pick up the pieces Of the
fendeF. He thought he was as good As
fired, but the company never said moth
ing. Euess they thought they was lucky
to get off with as little damage. Ar
besidks an accident right at the start
makeE a gripman extra careful for
the rest of the time. "-Wasbingto
Post.
Her Ideal Shattered.
Miks Clara Louise Kellogg tells the
follow ing story Of her introduction to
one ot the British aristocracy. She was
very Nouug at the time of her first trip