The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-10
Nv FROM or a LOCOMOTJVF.
An Experience Thpt Beats Football fos
Mnktnr "a Man Hungry.

-.
Making IA Man Hungry.
The youthful engineer who has just been
graduated from college IN likely to remember
the incidents OF his first ride on q real steam
engine longer than some OF the lessons he took
four years to learn at the university.
81 went up to New York the other day on my
frat engine test" said a young NJ. 4. OF Phiia-
deiphia. who 10 IN the employ OF n locomo-
tive works. 1t was q nc vel and interesting ex-
perience, and one I very much enjoyed. But
then n fellow could enjoy almost any old thing
after working four months IN the CRIME and
dirt and grease o. the shop Mt the piuDifcent
rate Of eight cents an hour. I suppose ! ought
to consider mysel: lucky TO 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 IL rather goes against tho grain.
Al the rate OF 8 cents m hour. we make only "a
cents q day. S3.s4 a week. when we work eight
we don't get THAI chance. Before election not
many engines were beng built. and sometimes
week. Then 1 earned the magnificent sum OF
81 in seven days.
for the Jersey Central Railroad to haul the
Royal Blue Express from New York To- WASH
ington. The engineer OF tests and ] rode from
where the engine we were TO test, No. 400. was
waiting for US in the round house 1t was Q
beauty, a great shining iron beast, with drivers
"a inches hirh. 1t had been brought TO the
round house tho day before. and the mechanics
We placed the indicators in the cylinder. eosiei
our eng ne. allied the water tank. backed iuto
the station. hitched to our train. aud were ali
ready TO start when the time came.
The engineer uf tests and | took our places
on, the front Of the engine on the right hand
aud I sat Oh top Of tho cylinder taking ind Gator
cards. You haven't any idea OF tn" breeze Gre
ated by a train running at the rate ~ more than
end of an engine. The engine cab is q calto and
to me thai we were tearing the very heart out
OF The Wind. The engine under me, snort-d
Ia n rage ns IL sprang forward wildly into
space. ,htieking shrilly half the time. The wind
smote my cheeks like the blow OF a sharp blade.
the Minl drew, bnt for all that II was glorious
the very apo,hsosis o. motion, The land cape
towns. rivers. The earth. Tie sky. All wa. AN
indescrlbabl- blur. Al times I wond II the
Iron monster wasn't running away. And then
| thought Of the darky who said he'd rather be
Ia IL railway disaster titan u st.amb boat sma,li-
ny. Tor II! !hs former case. Oar you Is" but in
must have been a funny sight for the birds
on the telesrnph wires as dashed past them on
drop-ical brownie, | Ind on two pairs of trou-
sers, n flannel shirt. two vests. two sweaters.
i wore n cap that came down over my neck aud
ears, sud my feet were wrapped UP in coffee
sNthh' unill tNel were rs Dig ~ ~ water bucket.
The only parts Of me that the nimOsnhere got a
chance az were my cheeks ana my hands. | had
10 have the fingers cut out OF my mittens in or.
der to handle the indicator cards.
When we reached Elizabeth We discovered
that one OF our .cross-head guides was getting
hot. 1t had probably been lined up wrong. We
stopped. oiled II M well. and starred again, but
" troubled US so that we had to slow down con.
siderahly, and by the time We reached Belle
Meade 4, was almost hot. That ended our test
for that day. We took off our engine and let
the train proceed with n switch engine we
picked up at Belle Meade. while we backed
4S6 into Jersey City. IL was : O'Clock at night BY
the time we han all our traps of the engine and
were ready u start for home. We hadn't had .
bite TO eat since morning. Well. ! used to think
AFTER a football game that | knew What IL was
to be hungry and sim. but my ride on that en-
CINE cylinder convinced me that ! had previous
~ had only the faintest conception Of what
hunger and WEAKNESS mean"