The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-04-07
BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

1t is an interesting position that
one finds when studying the relations
that connect the railroad employee
with the road itself with regard to
rules and regulations. 1t has a ring
OF heads 1 win, and tails you lose"
III favor of the road when it comes to
deciding where the responsibility lies
when an accident occurs. An old
railroad employee, a member of a
train crew, was conversing with the
writer recently, and in going over it
the situation might be better and
more readily understood if he were to
Pc rather closely quoted from his
standpoint and in his language.
"On our line," he said, 1--WE have
many good mile that compasses the
<sAole road, but I will confne my
Knowledge and experience of working
under rules and regulations as stand
ing between the general managers
Office and the actual operation of
trains. To follow every rule and reg
ulation to the letter would make
travel far safer than lying in bed, but
it would be so slow and tedious to
the passenger that the time made in
the old days of stage lines would ap-
pear a 'hier's' time of these days.
ITO make from even 80 miles per
hour up to the 80 reached these days
and to i've up to everything pertain
ing to slow ups, grade crossings. saw
ing of coal, oil and material, stops
and starts, reduced speed over turn
outs and switches and hundred and
one things to be remembered, would
be the worst kind of folly if making
time was a consideration.
"Take my run, $50 miles, which is
on the card to be made in hours and
So minutes, not such swift gait, to
be sure, although in winter, with
snow, ice and bad weather, it is some
little kind of job to get around on
time. To live up to every ironclad
rule, those in the book, on the card
and various specials issued every day,
you could not pull that run through
in ten hours, and you might count
yourself lucky if you went through
upon that time.
"a trainhand has the choice of
either making his time, for, if he is
frequently late, he is either set back,
suspended, fined or dismissed, or liv-
ing up to every rule, and, ifnot found
doing so in case of accident, being
dismissed. OF course where no acci-
dents occur the rules can be tampered
with and the management be blessed
with bandaged, eyes, but let mis-
hap occur, and in order to protect
themselves they jog out the thousand
or two rules, and if you are found
guilty you receive an early dismissal.
Sokhe trainhand takes his desperate
cHnces by playing at luck, by using
g lcrcsi On is< obeying his rule, as he
kssi.g MS sositiun longer than he
Nouid through strictly carrying out
ev4ry Our anu eventually Deing dlS-
missed when the next salary day ar
rives.
D''In one book of rules upon a large
road appear nearly 500 regulations for
the employee to familiarize himself
with, or, as one of the general rules
says: "The head of each department.
must be conversant with the rules,
supply copies of them to his subor-
dinates, see that they are understood,
enforce obedience to them. No one
will be excused for the violation of
any of them, even though not includ-
ed in those applicable to his depart
ment. Ignorance is no excuse for
neglect of duty
''Then follows a most remarkable
clause of rules which read, Every
employee while on duty connected
with the trains on any division of the
road is under the authority and must
conform to the orders of the superin-
tendent of that division Now, if
the employee has certain order from
the superintendent that conflicts with
those of the book, the road has him
double headed.
"To obey the superintendent and
disobey the rule means discharge, as
it distinctly states that no one will
be excused for the violation of any of
them, while on the other hand he
must conform to the orders of the
superintendent, so he is apt to be-
come discharged either way, but the
road stands unbalanced in either case.
Besides these 500 regulations there
are numbers of rules, about 20 forms
of train orders, a hand and lamp sig
nails, II manner of using signals ac-
cording to the train rules, besides
nearly 100 special rules on the time
card.
"Then comes the changing occa-
sionally of rule or from day to day
the time of some new rule. With
this the employee must learn by heart
the schuduled time of some IS regu-
Lar trains, not to mention as many
specials. Is it no wonder not more
accidents occur when one employee
may be on duty Is or 20 continuous
hours and happens to forget just one
of these things to be remembered"
CHARACTER BY THE EARS.