The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-21
OLD RULES COME TO LIGHT.
Formerly Freight Trains Were Only
Run in the Day Time.

Vice President J. NJ. Egan, of the
Central railway of Georgia, has brought
to light some old rules which governed
the running of trains on the Central
forty years ago. They sound very
strange today, even to those VINO are
unfamiliar with the standard rules.
Mr.. Egan got a clew to these old rules
in a talk which he had with Mr.. Horace
P. Smart, of Savannah, who used to be
an engineer himself, but for years has
been a capitalist and lumberman, we'll
known in this state.
On the old Central the practice was
to run freight trains only during the
day and to stop them off at some sta
ton at night. A freight train that
would leave a station after 6 o'clock
would run to some point that they could
reach between and o'clock, where
they would remain over night, starting
out again the next morning. The time
card showed that they occupied the
greater part of the two days in running
a freight train between Savannah and
Macon a distance of 19I miles. The
following are some of the rules for en-
CINE men, taken from the time card of
1856:
Rule No. 5. The engine man will be
subject to pay for fares Of any person
who may ride upon his engine without
proper authority.
Rule No. 8. An engine man must new
er entrust his engine to fireman. If
at Savannah or Macon, where it may
be done by the person appointed by the
superintendent of machinery.
''Rule No. 9. All engines unprovided
with lamps, and running at night out of
time, must keep their hampers open, SO
as to show a light.
"Rule No. IA. An engine man must
not refuse to attach an additional car
to his engine unless 1t is already fully
loaded"
In the rules for conductors, rule
gives a list of articles that will be
charged up to them, consisting of
lamps, oil cans, monkey wrenches, wa
ter buckets, chains, ETC., amounting to
$40. so. This was taken from the con-
ductor's first months pay, and refunded
to him when he left the road. The rule
specifies that ''in case any of these arti-
cles are worn out or destroyed in the
service of the company, they will be re-
placed by the StOrekeeper, if brought to
him, without additional charge"
Rule No. 4. All work must be done
at station where a train is to stop at
night, so as to enable it to leave in the
morning on schedule time.
'Rule No. g. AS a general rule, when
trains meet between stations the train
nearest the turn out will run back. Any
dispute as to which train will retire is
tors without any interference on the
part of the engine men. This rule is
required to be varied in favor of the
heaviest loaded engine or the worst
grades, if they meet near the center.
In case of backing a man must be
placed on the lookout, so that any dan
ger to the remOteSt part or the train
may be seen and the engine man at
once receive notice-the backing must
be done very cautiously.
rule No. IL. Trains failing to arrive
at Savannah, Macon or any station on
the line where a regular train stops at
night before the regular time of de-
parture for outward bound trains or the
time of departure of trains from sta
tions where they have stopped at night,
will become irregular, and must not
run in the time of regular trains. The
outword bound train and those that
have stopped at a station the line,
will leave and run by regular schedule;
if not then both will become irregular
and must be governed by rule for con-
ductOrS.
Rule No. Is. At every station where
the trains stop regularly at night, there
will be men employed by the company
to watch the trains and take care of
the property of the company that may
come under their notice 1t will be the
duty of he conductor arriving first at
the station to place the Waterman on
duty All persons are forbidden sleep
ing in cars Any Waterman so stationed
neglecting his duty must be reported by
the conductor. Should conductor be
compelled to stop his train at any sta
ton where there are no watchmen he
must have it watched by the train
hands, as heretofore. A train stopping
at any station at night must invariably
be run on the turnout SO as to leave
the main track clear.
Rule No. II. The spark catcher or
chimney of an engine getting out of or
der, so as to endanger the safety of the