The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-20


| worthiness If a porter be lacking IN
| any of these qualities, he cannot remain
in the service; it is a sure mark that he
| possesses all of them If he is retained.
| tits difficult to get into the service, al
| though all who can bring references for
the previous five years may try. After
| spending five years in it the colored
| porter has rarely been known to leave
| it voluntarily unless sickness compel
him to. He is contented because he is
| successful, and, aside from that, be-
| cause he is well-paid, well-fed, we'll
housed and well-treated. In support OF
| this last assertion may be mentioned
| the fact that the records show no volun-
tary departures from the service after
five years other than for reasons of III
health.
| The Pullman porter is essentially a
| product Of the last half of the nine
teenth century. The sleeping-car crea-
ted his class less than forty years ago,
since when it has increased numerically
! from single Individual to nearly four
thousand The modern palace on
wheels. for the contents of which the
| porter is held responsible, costs from
sixteen to eighteen thousand dollars
| To become its house-keeper is the am
bilious dream of many an American ne
| gro.
| An applicants reference, even When
| bearing the names of the best-knoWn
| people, are not accepted as final They
are investigated, either in person or by
| letter. This precaution is made neces-
sary from the fact that often an en-
| ployer, to be pleasantly rid of servant,
says only the nice things he can about
| him, withholding that information
which is Of most value to the officials OF
| the company. If the recommendations
| are found to be satisfactory, the appli-
cant is put on trial An order is given
him for uniform. This costs $3.50,
and he must pay for it himself. 1t is
subject to inspection once a month, and
may be condemned by the inspector.
While waiting for his new regalia, the
notice applies himself to the study of the
look of rules and regulations and be-
tween times. whenever possible, works
in the yard with the old porters who are
getting their cars ready for the road.
When he dons his new uniform he Is
ready for the road Under the instruc-
ton of the porter and the conductor he
does all the work After he has mas
tered this, the company takes him in
hand to see how much of the book and
regulations he has memorized. What
appears vague to him Is explained UNI
til he thoroughly comprehends. Then
he is given another chance to read and
remember, and yet another if by this
time he has made intelligent progress.
Carefully, section by section is gone
over until all have been mastered.
Four times year district school" Is
held in the various districts" into
which the road is divided and here
both conductors and porters-who have
separate classes-are examined in the
book of rules and regulations. In prep
aration for these examinations they
brush up their memory in rules they
might otherwise forget, and usually
they pass the school examination cred-
itably. The winter school" has just
terminated in the Wagner yards in
Melrose, after weeks session.
If within six months after the porter
has been established in his position the
temptations in the service develop his
bad traits leniency may be shown with
the first offense, but one repetition
means a summary discharge Every
encouragement is held out to be good
man. As a mark of faithful service he
has stripe put on his coat-sleeve af-
ter he has been in the employ of the,
company for five years. and one every
five years thereafter, There are some
employees wearing as many as six
stripes, denoting over thirty years of
service, and five and four stripes are
not uncommon. The reason they are
not more common is simply because but
few porters fifteen or twenty years ago
were employed or needed, and the en-
larged system which brought so many
into the service is not yet old enough to
give the coveted badge of long years of
faithful work. Every year after the
first five all porters are presented with
upniform free as anotherincentive to
remain and be faithful.
Porters receive from twenty-five to
sixty-f1ve dollars month from the Pull
man and Wagner companies, according
to the service they are in. The private
and special car service pays best, and
often runs to seventy-five dollars a |
iiipIlh' PuIlOl StiAiiio Se'A' "iiN' |
sleepers follow 1T is chiefly in the last
fourteen years that the private or spec |
ial car came into vogue. Usually |
porter who has once served an lndlv1d- |
ual or party on a car is asked for If he |
proved satisfactory the first time. This |
is the porter who is envied by his fell
lows. He eats of the best of the land |
his duties are limited and light, he re-
ceives the highest wages paid, and tip |
of fifty dollars is not unheard Of, ac- |
cording to one who has spent the great |
err part of the last ten years in the spec
ial car service in the Wagner company |
He is employed regularly on sleeper |
but whenever request is made for him,
the superintendent gladly puts man In |
his place until his return to II, Often |
party after party asks for him, keeping
him for months In the special car SerV-
ice. Some of the old porters know in
timately some of the best-knoWn men
in public and private life, from spend
ing months together with them on
trip over the continent. Private cars
cost from sixty to eighty dollars day,
the occupants paying also for the rail-
road ticket at the regular rates. If they
wish to have the larder stocked, it is |
done for them by the company at
wholesale prices. an additional 10 per
heinz bo for GRrUira A |