St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-05-22
Training Gripmen.

ployee OF the Washington and George
town railway was asked last night as he
left his Car at the end Of the route for q
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 down grade. Then again 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
~ certain that every team that comes
out from cross street is going to collide
with him. 1t takes him about two
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
in 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 a 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, tell you.
There's something funny about
braking up a grip car. came from the
country to my job, but l wasn't always
a plowboy. When Twas young fellow,
l used to work in a country printing Of
flee, and used to have to run Washing
ton hand press. Ever run 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
you cant throw 'er over and get an i'm
preston no more than a rabbit. You
may have 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 linking
"Well, as l was saying. that's just
like braking upa grip car. Some big
fellows weighing 200 pounds, with mus
Giles on them like Fitzsimmons, 90 out
on one 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 little fellow,
who don't look heavy enough to handle
a team of mules attached to a sulky
pillow, gets job on the road, and he
grabs that old grip like a drum major
throwing a 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 he throwing on
the brakes all right he's kind of off his
pins when it comes to hearing the two
bells for 60 ahead. You see, new man
can't do everything at once Takes
about week to get the shiver off, and
during that time a regular gripman runs
with the 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 block you strike if you
don't let 60 the cable where you have
20, and if you ever strike a dead man
your jobs gone, no ifs and ands about
t-and all about the street and so on.
Well, if the new man passes the exami-
nation, he puts up $40, and they give
1im certificate, and he can go and put
hat up for uniform and an overcoat,
and there you arches gripman, ready
or 90 degrees below zero and 100 de-
srees above zero and his little old SO
lay.
"The company's breaking in six new
,ripmen on the Fourteenth street line
light now. Two of the old men died
md couple quit. Each line always
Keeps about dozen extra gripmen on
hand ready for an emergency, so they're
in these new ones. One of the
lew boys had an accident at Ninth and
he avenue the other afternoon. Ran
nto an Anacostia bobtail car By GIN
,er, thought he was going to knock
he thing clear to the Good Hope hill,
nut he didn't. Scared? Well, the pas
engers on the bobtail wasn't half as
cared as he was. He could hardly get
IF the grip to pick up the pieces of the
ender He thought he was as good as
ired, but the company never said moth
ng. Guess they thought they was lucky
o get off with as little damage. And
esides an accident right at the start
makes a gripman extra careful for all
he rest of the time. w Washington
'ost.
All Hope Gone.