Evening journal., 1898-01-01
poWN IN rHE BREAKrRs


From one end to the other of that
busy and unsavOry section of the city
known as the coast there are grade
crossings, and at nearly every one of
them there is a watchman and gate
keeper and, ait some of them, two or
three OF these functionaries. They are
all good men, as the infrequency OF ac-
cidents testify. Many of them have
grown gray in the service of the rail-
road companies. Others are younger
men who have received injuries in the
service. which, while uniting them
for duty in the freight yards andshops,
ID not unfit them for tending the gates
In their positions they have all sorts of
annoyances to contend with, the prin-
cipal ones being foolhardy pedestrians
and drivers, who are willing to take any
risk to get across the several tracks
In the face OF rapidly-moving trains.
Men and women seem TO delight in
taking chances on the rail. They dis
regard the warnings OF the gates being
down; pass right under the flag of dan
ger being Haunted in their faces by the
nagman; and sometimes even abuse the
gate-keepers for calling their attention
to the great risk they are running. But
with it all, there are many who owe
their lives TO these obscure heroes. and
their quiet deeds of heroism rarerly get
| into print.
1t is said that there is a special
[ providence which watches over
| drunken men and children. and no
1 where is this better demonstrated than
l along the coast, where not only
/ drunken men, but also drunken women
| abound and where children by the
/ hundred, and OF all sizes. play along
/ the tracks and on the streets contig-
uoas thereto.
While there is a serious side TO tn,
l life Of one of these gate-tenders, ther,
4 Is also a ludicrous side to it, and an
1 incident blending the two came be
meath the notice of the Wayfarer a da,
or two ago. He was down on the coas
looking for driftwOod to put in hii
notebook, and there is any amount o
Il thrown up on the stony beach b,
the breakers of everyday life. II woul'
not do to print all that the wild wave
are saying and doing down there, 70
sometimes they run riot and Offer
wash away the boardwalk of common
decency. At the foot of one of tn
streets, near Market, there is a goo'
old German lifeguard. He has beel
there for years engaged in the worl
of saving lives and souls at the sam
time, for IL those who have occasiO,
to cross the tracks were left to them
selves the devil would have a rich har
vest. The German life-guard was in
sorry plight. He had a drunken ele
phant on his hands, and was anxiOu
to get rid OF it.
This elephant consisted of roundel
seedy and about 30 years old. II
looked as though he had been on
4 drunk ever since he had reached tn
age of discretion. Possibly the onl
times he drew sober breaths wer
when he had no money to get drunl
On this day. however, he must hay
1 found an old and true friend. for n
was gloriously full Whiskey put
/ funny notions into some mems head
1 This rounder imagined that IL was hi
( 4 special mission to keep the old Cei
man gate-tender worried and busy. II
/ persisted in walking backward and foi
ward across the railroad tracks at ths
! point. The German would get him 4
one side and leave him. Pretty 500
he would see him crossing again. an,
IL there were a fast train coming,
only seemed to add to the enjoymel
of the occasion.
Finally the gate-keeper got tired
| his job. Turning to someone he kne
! he said
"Mein Gott in Himmoll Go und dc
Shones to cum up here und dake d
s man away. Az phast as ] gets him O
I dis side Of de tracks he ish on de udd,
side, und ven 1 gets him on de udd,
E side he ish ON dis side again. Dell dos
{ bolice fellers vat ish up dare to de p.
{ troll station to prlng down de vagOl
! fur | ish tired und weary; und dell ID