The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-08-19
LIFE IN A TUNNEL.
Men who Spend Their Working
Hours There DO Not Mind 1t.

Men who Spend Their Working
Hours There DO Not Mind 1t.
In the tunnel by which the New York
Central enters New York there are
thirty-two signal men and fifteen track
men. who spend the working hours Of
each day there, says the New York
Herald.
In their ears Is the perpetual din Of
outgoing and incoming trains. But the
ears become used to this continual
noise. The men forget all about the
racket, except when they try to talk
to one another, and then the thought
Of the din merely is sub-conscious,
speaking psychologically.
To be good signal or track man in
the tunnel expert lodging is required,
as well as cool head. When you learn
that about 800 trains pass through that
tunnel every twenty-four hours. you
will realize that the men who work in
it must have their wits about them all
the time.
Most of the trains are, of course, dur
ing the daylight hours. If you should
happen to be in the subterranean pas
sage during the early morning or late
afternoon hours, when suburban trains
are plentiful. you will think that there
is train every few seconds. There
are manv manholes in the four walls of
the tunnel. There is one III each wall
at every block. You will admit after
a few hours experience in the tunnel
that all are needed.
These manholes are small inches.
Some Of them are large enough to hold
four or five men. AS the trains sweep
by you catch part Of the dust, cinders
and smoke, but the manhole saves your
life, at any rate.
Some of the tunnel employees grow
fat on the dampness, humidity, smoke,
cinders and gaseous atmosphere. How
they prosper physically under such
conditions is problem. but the most
natural inference Is that they have such
hardy constitutions that nothing short
of Il locomotive or a bullet will undo
them.
l had talk with Harlem road em-
ployee who had served for several
years as signalman.
when l began work in the tunnel"
said he, Il weighed only AS pounds.
After toiling several years in the pas
sage my weight had increased until it
was about lis pounds. The work re-
quires man to have strong physique,
with his organs in good condition. OF
course, IL is not the most pleasant task
in the world, but the men as rule be-
come accustomed to the noise. smoke
and dust. Sometimes it is very damp
at other times the humid passage makes
the heat more oppressive.
ION heavy traffic days at least 500
locomotives, drawing between $500
and 1900 cars, pass through the tunnel
50 many trains require the employees
to be on the jump all the time. A
stranger in the tunnel is apt to become
alarmed, to catch hold of your coat tail
and to urge you to the nearest man
hole"
Upon the average there are from
three to Eve employees killed or in
jured in the tunnel every year. Since
the passage Was built was informed
that there have been only two train
collisions of any importance. The block
signal system is claimed to be as good
rs any In this country. 1t is operated
by electricity.
The tunnel has small towers, In which
the signalmen pass much of their time.
These towers are as cosy and as COM
Portable as the towers one usually sees
on the New York Central line. The
tunnel employees do not have long
hours. They work in three shifts of
eight hours each and receive from $50
to $50 a month, according to the duties
and length of service There is a regu-
lation that all of the locomotives while
passing through the tunnel must burn
coke or hard coal, to prevent the chok-
ing of the passageway with smoke.
After all the impatient commuter
probably finds the tunnel more oblec-
tionable than the employees. The lat
ter, at any rate, are kept SO busy that
they do not have much time to think
about their troubles.