The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04
THE MOTORMAN'S TROUBLES.
More Nerve Required to Run a Troll
ley Car than n Locomotive.
Pittsburg Dispatch.

Plttsburg Dispatch.
Talk about the nerve it takes to run a
great express engine! said a street-car.
motorman to me the other day, as he
stopped his car for a crowd of park ex-
cursionists to- climb off. IT'S nothing to
what it takes to run one of these cars
through the East End or Allegheny these
pretty summer afternoons and splendid
nights.
l asked him why. and between spurts on
the long ride the motorman opened up
new idea as to some troubles his craft have
that are not often talked of or given due
consideration in the time of accidents
When little child is ground to death UNI
der the tearing wheels of the electric car
'Juggernaut' the word applied, and too
often the innocent motorman is censured
and, indeed, in these days Of civilized
lynchings, placed in the gravest of dam
gers. The men who apply the rushing
power of lightning that courses along the
slender wires overhead are human beings.
Many of them are husbands and fathers.
They are touched with our inirmities"
and are in all points like ordinary mortals
They know but too we'll the frightful re-
sponsibility placed upon them as they pilot
through the crowded streets their great
cars. The public demands rapid transit"
,
transit
oh we have our troubles" half growled,
half chuckled the man of Drawn and sinew
as he rapidly brought his whrlng car to
check as some children ran across the
tracks a hundred feet or more ahead. Did
see you did. That was easy to what we
often have, but here on these big, broad
streets we frequently, have the closest Of
calls. | was railroad engineer once, years
ago. Got tired of the job. Was away from
home too much and wife fretted about dan
ger. l half agreed though | loved railroad
ing. l gave up the throttle when l had
chance to run a trolley car, but I've been
sorry ever since, and l guess she has, too,
since I've told her some of my experiences
as | drive car along Pittsburg's streets"
Going to give up the job?" he said,
when / wonderingly asked him. You just
bet | am. Soon as 1 get chance. I'm
brotherhood Locomotive Engineer man
yet and have my application in for fire
man, wiper hustler. engineer or anything;
and soon as l can pull the string I'll get
off here and be awful glad again to face
the dangers of railroading in preference to
the responsibilities of running a trolley car.
AS we spun along the smooth tracks over
apparently VelVety floors of asphalt and
crossed scores of interesting streets a gim-
merlnS OF the truth of what this man had
been telling me forced itself upon my mind
The sudden stoppages on account of
thOughtless innOcents were exceedingly fire.
quent
Sometimes a little swarm of them would
appear on the tracks a long way ahead.
They were never removed or warned eX-
cept by the incessant clang of the sharp,
far-sounding gong over head, and even
then the motorman would be compelled to
bring his car to half One-Quarter speed,
before the tiny human distractions were
well out Of harm S way.
Often some tiny tot, the pride and chief
attraction of a rich or well-to-do home,
would suddenly rush, or rather trot, across
the pathway of the speeding vehicle of civ
ilization's rapid train, and in such cases
the Watchful pilot would rapidly Whirl his
trusty brake, there would be no time to
ring the gong nor use either and suddenly.
car almost to a standstill until the wee
mite would cross the track
But l noticed he had far more trouble
with grOwn-up children. Pedestrians, men
and women, especially women, though l
fear to say it, were Indifferent at the ap-
proach OF the car, and would cross the
| tracks almost INVOKING, 1t looked to me, a
! horrible death. The mOtOrman would plead
! ingly, threateningly and often alarmedly
ring the gong of warning, but all to no pur-
pose, and, as a last resort, but never too
late, apply his brake to the wheels 1t
was provoking indeed, as such heedlessness
to me often as though the foolish adults
deserved a good bump, if nothing more,
or ali the Instructions in human form, 1
do not speak of carriages or wagons for
they are SO common as 10 be taken as mere
matter OF course even by passenge!', the
bicyCliStS were the worst and the moSu dan
gerous so far as they themselves We're con-
cerned. They were really always to be
dreaded, and fully one-third of the time in
the way
To me in the front seat of that summer
car it looked as though they confidently
pitted their frail vehicles against the
mighty rushing car of iron and wood.
They would ride daringly ahead of the car,
and right on the tracks at that. They
would fit around corners the car would
fly past them, and Craze or rush upon the
dangerous pathway of the speeding mon
Ster, for such it often seemed to me.
Men, women and children awheel would
cross-streets we intersected until l was al
most made sick when l thought of the
countless risks of accident they fooliShly
took.
The motorman was always cool, always
saw everything, and then l began to see
the terrible responsibility he had spoken of
when my trip was young.
You see he said, when I told him what
l had learned, lit isn't my own personal
physical danger 1 apprehend. 1t is the dan
ger TO my fellow-beings. That's all there
is to it. Railroaders have little more than
their own lives and limbs to look after
those of others. Those others risk too
much, trust US too much and count upon
getting back if the worst comes to the
worst, that which cannot be repaid. I'm
tired of the strain. It's an awful one upon
a man of heart and mind You can't I'M
derstand it ALL even though you now seem
to guess at il, for l am responsible, and
run this car. No, sir; the life of a Pitts
burg motorman is one that is hard, for
this reason more than any other, and I'm
going to step down and cut of it as soon
as / can make a living for my wife and
children by working at my old job on a To-
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