The Opelousas courier., 1898-09-10
On lie Edge Of tie Flood.

On lie Edge Of Tie Flood.
AS the railroad on which I first ran
a locomotive has a ttdewater terminus
it is equipped with floats, or great
barge-like boats, with tracks laid on
their decks, which receive freight cars
for transportation by water to connect
ing roads. That the switch engines
may be enabled to put the cars on and
take them off the floats, there are reg
ular slips" and bridges" such as you
see in a ferry house. The lower end
of the brfge is fastened to the dock by
great hinges, while the other end floats
on alright boxes. This lets the sea
end rise and fall with the tides, so
that the yard tracks, which run down
the bridge will always connect with
those on the float.
Occasionally, through somebody's
blunder, a car would drop off the
bridge, overheard, and once in a great
while an engine. Then there was
something to talk about for a few
days; there would be an investigation
by the superintendent; somebody would
be discharged; the wreckers would
have employment, and matters would
settle down again until something else
happened.
l had been promoted only a little
while-yet long enough to learn that
more skill was required in handling a
locomotivethan / had supposed-when,
on reporting for duty n night at six
o'clock, I found my partner down on
the bridge with the engine.
AS l stepped into the cab to relieve
him, he asked:
did you ever work on this bridge?'
"No," said I.
well, look out for yourself. It's the
worst place in the whole yard"
"Why, what's the matter with it,"
Matter enough. You'll find out be-
fore morning."
I could get nothing out Of him but
this unsatisfactory and rather disquiet-
ing reply, before he picked up his din
ner pail, pulled on his coat and left the
cab.
He had been running a locomotive
a year longer than l had, but as l had
worked on the railroad longer than he
had, I would not crafty his sense Of
superiority by asking for further In
formation. l did not like him very
well, for that matter, and If he chose
to be mysterious I was unwilling to
disturb his reserve. I thought that I
could find out what the troubld was
with the bridge myself. Then I should
not be beholden to anybody.
A young engineer has many disa-
greeab1e things with which to contend.
He feels the necessity of maintaining
his dignity, yet everybody knows
just how long he has been running, all
hands, from the conductor to the fire.
man, feel called upon to proffer him
much unnecessary, and usually very
irritating advice. However, as nobody
knows it all' the young engineer soon
learns to keep his new-found dignity
within bounds, to listen to much coun-
sci, and to appropriate such as he con-
siders valuable.
My partners fireman started off on q
long, irrelevant harangue, under the
impression that he was imparting val
liable information to me, but my own
fireman appearing, he, too, finally took
himself off.
As it was a short winters day 1t was
already dark when l took charge of the
engine. We were loading a float at the
time, and as 'forewarned is fore
armed" you may be sure 1 kept a
sharp lookout for switches, signals and
moving a
The crew make no allowance for the
fact that a man is green. On the con-
trary, they are inclined to be slack and
careless for that very reason, thinking
that in case of accident it will be easy
to place the blame ON the green en-
gineer. / got that float loaded prop.
erly, but the mental strain put a Slight
tension on my nerves, which l would
not have acknowledged for worlds.
The conductor told me I might as
we'll stay right where l was; for, he
said, a float with empty cars was i'll
the river, waiting to come in as soca
as the loaded one should get out; then
we would pull the "empties'' off and
her.
That was where I failed to assert
myself when I should have done so.
The engine lay quite close to the river
end Of the bridge, and as the tide was
low the grade was pretty steep. I
ought to have replied: II guess I'll pull
up off the bridge, anyway"
And I ought to have done it, too.
But I did not. The conductor was an
old hand at float work, so l took it for
granted that he advised the usual
method, and / did not like to say or
do anything to remark.
The fireman and / lit our pipes, rest. |
ed our heels on the boiler butt and
ourselves to take it cas- unti.
the float arrived. The loaded float had |
pulled out Of the slip, the yard crew
had gone over to the yardmaster's
office half a mile away, and. we two
alone on the bridge with the en-
CINE.
We were chatting pleasantly, and
listening to the tapping of the water
about the piles In the slip, when the |
fireman suddenly cried In q startled
I
Lock out. She's backing mi WIN