The San Francisco call., 1897-05-30
IN FRONT OF A LOCOMOTIVE.
An Experience That Beats Football Tor
Making u Man Hungry.

An Experience That Beats Football Tor
Making "a Man Hungry.
The young engineer who has just besn
graduated from college is likely to remem-
Der the incidents of his first ride on real
steam engine longer than some Of the les
sons he took four years to learn at the
university.
II went up to New York the other day
on my first engine test," said young NJ
Z. OF Philadelphia, who is in the employ
of locomotive works. ''It was move.
and interesting experience. and one very
much enjoyed. But then a fellow could
enjoy almost any old thing after working
four months in the CRIME and dirt and
grease of the shop at the munIfcent
rate OF cents an hour. i suppose
l ought to consider myself lucky
10 have secured any sort of work
when times were as hard as they were this
summer. Probably half the men that
were graduated with me last spring would
be glad 10 have my chance, but still it
rather goes against the grain. At the
tate OF b cents an hour we make only 64
cents day, $3 "a week, wnen we work
eight hours day for six days in the week.
But often we don't get that chance. Be-
lore election not many engines were being
built, and sometimes l didn't work more
than twenty five hours week. Then
earned the magnificent sum Of 81 in seven
days.
The engine we tested was made last
spring Tor the Jersey Central Railroad TO
haul tue Royal Blue express from New
York to Washington. The engineer of
tests and | rode from Philadelphia in an
engine-cab to Jersey City, where the
engine We were to test-No. 456-was
waiting for us in the roundhouse. 1t
was beauty, great shining iron
beast, with drivers eighty-four inches
high. 1t had been brought to the round
house the day before, and the mechanics
had trued up or lined up its cross-head
guides. We placed the indicators in the
cylinder, coaied our engine, filled the
water tank, backed into the station, hitched
10 our train, ana were all ready TO start
when time came.
The engineer of tests and / took our
places on the front of the engine on the
rlgnt hand side. He read The draught
gauge and speed. and l sat Oh top OF
the cylinder taking indicator cards. You
haven't any idea OF the breeze created by
train running at the rate OF more than
a mile minute until you get out on the
front eud of an engine. The engine cab is
calm ana sequeStered retreat in Compari-
son. 1t seemed 10 me that we were tear
engine under me snorted and painted ana
quivered like wild animal in a rage, as
II sprang forward wildly into space
shrleklng shrilly half the time. The
wind smote my cheeks ike the blow of
sharp blade. My eyes smarted with
smoke and the tears that the wind
dried. But for all that it was glorious
the very apotheosis OF splendid motion.
TIE landscape rushed past me like fright.
ened thing. Farms, towns, rivers, the
earth, the sky. All was an indescribable
blur. AT times L wondered ii the iron
monster wasn't running away. And then
thought of the darky who said he'd
rather be in a railway disaster than a
steam boat smashup, for In the former case,
Oar you ISL but In the latter, War is
you?'
Il must have been funny sight for the
birds on the telegraph wires, as l dashed
past them on the top of that cylinder.
fancy looked like dropsical brownie.
had on two pairs of trousers, q fan
mel shirt, two vests, two sweaters
and coat, besides lot Of heavy
underclothing. l wore a cap that
came down over my neck and ears,
and my feet were wrapped up in coffee
sacks until they were as big as water
bucket. The only parts of me that the at
mosphere got chance at were my cheeks
and my hands. | had to have the fingers
cut out OF my mittens In order to handle
the indicator cards.
when we reached Elizabeth we discov-
cred that one OF our crosshead guides was
getting hot. 1t had probably been lined
up wrong. We stopped, oiled it up well,
and started again, but it troubled US 80
that we had to slow down considerably,
and by the time we reached Belle Meade
it was almost hot. That ended our
test for that day. We took off our
engine and let the train proceed with
switch engine we picked up at Belle
Meade, while we backed 456 into Jersey
City. 1t was O'Clock at night by the
time we had all our traps off the engine
and were ready to start for home. We
hadn't bite to eat since morning. Well
| used to think after football game that
l knew what 1t was 10 be hungry and stiff,
but my ride on that engine cylinder con-
vinced me that had previously had only
the ialntest conception of what hunger
and WEAKNESS mean New York Sun