The San Francisco call., 1898-04-17

HAVE been talking to the motor
 man.
 Not on his car: dear me- mo- I
 wouldn't have the heart to do that
 in the face of the company's gentle plea to the contrary, which is displayed above his. head, but I tracked him to his lair, as it were, and finding him In his variety by no means the fierce and murderously inclined monster that he is frequently represented to be I con- Nersed with him without fear.
 talked with him concerning his avo- cation, its duties and its dangers; and Knowing well what a large proportion or the general public thinks of him eSSayed to find cut what he thinks of the human tide through which hesteers his unwieldy craft, what causes he as signs for the accidents which occur and which just miss occurring, and how life seems from his standpoint.
 I discovered that he has his griev- ances; that he considers himself often unfairly treated, and that he does not go about maiming and killing human beings, running over dogs and into horses and smashing vehicles just for the fun of the thing.
 Here is what he, in his various indi- Vidualities, said to me:
 F. s. Whenever any one gets hurt on a car line there is a great fuss made about it, but the wonder to me is that there are not accidents oc- curing all the time instead of as in frequently as they do. Some people seem to think that they haven't any sort of call to look out for them selves at all, but wander off and on car tracks just as they please without pay ing any attention to motormen, or gOngs. or even to the cars unless they happen to hit them. Nearly every ac- Cident that happens to grown people is caused by their own criminal care lessness, and men and women are about alike in this respect. If those persons who are the quickest to blame carmen for every accident would just spend one day riding on the front seat and looking straight down the track I think that they would view the matter very differently afterward. Not a day goes by that some narrow escape does not occur, but when no one is hurt the fact that the mOtorman's coolness and quickness saved life that it's owners carelessness nearly sacrificed generally passes unnOticed.
 The worst shake-up that I have had lately was down on Mission street. I had been following behind a heavy truck and a boy ran out from behind another team coming toward me, right across my track, within two feet of me. If I had hurt that boy that I never saw until he was almost under the car I should have been blamed, of course, but 1t was almost a miracle that 1 didn't. Such things are constantly happening and will until children are taught not to play in the middle of the streets, and adults learn to get on and off cars prop erly, look out for cars on both tracks and pay attention when the gong rings.
 NJ. SCHUMACHER-I have been a car man for twenty-two years, driving horse-c cars, gripping and motoring, and l have been what is called lucky, but l have had narrow escapes enough to make most any mans hair white. Chil- dren bother me the most, for the poor little things haven't got the sense to look out for themselves, and when their parents turn them out into the street to play and I have to look out for them as well as run my car on time, it makes a days work hard. Over on Broadway and south of Market, where the babies are thick, it's all a man can do to keep clear of them. From the time they can walk until they are four or five they seem to have a special lik- ing for running across the streets; if they would run straight overit wouldn't be so bad, but they are likely to turn