The Opelousas courier., 1897-05-08
CABLE WATCHERS.
Unique Occupation Under the Sur
face Of New York Streets.
dangerous and Irksome Labors in
Close. Dark Quarters.

oai4ace VI the streets OF New York,
upon these men rests an erormou,
amount of responsibility. To theiI
care and judgment are intrusted th,
iiVes OF the several hundred thousani
passengers who daily use the cable
cars. If they are not careful and con.
slant IN their work the strands of the
cable become broken and the cars arc
damned together.
Along the line OF the cable road.
there is at an interval of every twenty
i've or thirty feet what is called O
manhole. This is covered with a bic
square iron plate. The plate can be
removed ct will. An iron ladder leads
from the surface to the bottom of the
pit, beneath the track.
1t is the duty Of the men who watch
the cable almost constantly to b. IN.
derground from 7 a. m. until 6 D. N.
The railroad is divided into sections
just as are the sections of a big steam
railroad company and two men are
assigned to each section. When the
men start out in the morning they are
armed with strong nippers, riveting
hammers, plyers and such other tools
as are necessary to make immediate
repairs.
The little pit is hardly large enough
to comfortably hold the two me-
chanics who are compelled to occupy
it from time to timo during the
hours when they are inspecting the
working of the grips and the cable.
No cable railroad man thinks of calling
the big wire affair which pulls the
cars along anything but q rope.
Each morning the men who are en-
ployed for this underground service
start ont, first, to inspect the cable to
see that there are no indications of a
break in it. From their places of OBJ
seryation they can watch the rope as
it passes yer the pullsys and detect
the slightest tendency OF a strand to
break. It is the breaking of these
strands which causes most of the seri-
Gus accidents on the two lines. The
loose wires wind around the grip and
carry the car along at full speed, IN.
til the strand is broken or the cable is
stopped.
The men on section duty 60 from
place to place throughout the day,
ready at all times to make such re.
pairs as they can, and also to signal
the power-house should they discover
a break that is dangerous. When
they find that a strand is giving away,
but is not Immediately dangerous, they
signal the power-house to that effect.
Then the men whose duty it is to
watch the cable as it passes over the
big drums look for the weakened por.
ton of the s.rope" as it comes along.
The cable is stopped and the strand is
cut out and a new wire is spliced into
place, just as sailors aboard ship splice
a broken sheet or halyard. The fine
wires are interviewer and when the
cable is again started it is as strong
as ever.
There is much danger attendant
upon the work below ground. The
openings of the manholes are close to
the track and unless the men are care
full when they come up the ladder to
the surface. they are likely to be killed
by q passing car. One of the m
ployes Of the Metropolitan Company
had his head severed from his body a
year ago by a a which could not be
stopped. He vas just coming from
under ground, and his head was struck
as he reached the surface.
At the power houses OF both l-les
men are constantly on hand under
ground to inspect the cable and the
grip of the various cars as they run
in and out Of the car stable. These
are compelled to remain under
ground constantly for six and eight
hours ut a stretch. At "Dead Mans
Curve" Fourteenth street and Broad
way, two men also have long tours OF
duty under ground. They arc there
to throw the cable off OF on in case
Of accident. Then, too, at Thirty
street and Broadway men work
all day under the roadway, as others
IRE compelled to do in front OF the
power house in Broadway at Houston
street.-New York World.
The German Police.
There il little possibility OF inde-