The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
WOES OF THE MoTORMAN
HE GETS MUCH ABUSE AND LITTLE
PRAISE FOR HIS WORK.
Many Times His Heart Is I'm His
Throat, and the Wear and Tear
on Nerves Is FrfghtfuI.
New York Times.

Ntuudl II AOt dCCO1IpctA-cQ Dy cur
responding advantages. There are several
hundred motormen in New York who were
formerly horse car drivers, and they unan-
imously acknowledge that there was more
satisfaction I'm driving the horses than in
engineering the cable or electric cars
through the crowded avenues. The all but
total extinction OF the former species of
workmen in the city has had the effect Of
calling up many "reminiscences this winter.
and the other day an intelligent operator
on a downtown cable car expressed some
sentiments that may have their value.
For ten years." said he. 81 drove horse
car up the Boulevard summer and winter,
and I found life well worth living then. 1
suppose it was hard on the horses These
cable cars are pretty good things to save
horse flesh. but they kill the men who op-
crate them You've heard a good deal
about the responsibilities of an engineer on
a locomotive express. and 1 guess there is
lots of sentiment written about him that
isn't true, but I'll wager that he doesn't
have half the responsibility the motormen
in the city face every day. Your engineer
has his blocks and signals all set for him.
and all he has to do Is to obey them. OF
course, he must keep a sharp lookout
ahead, but the danger signals are always
seen a long time before you get to them,
and then there's the fireman to help you
If you forget
Now we have no danger signals at ALL
nothing to guide us but our eyes. and while
we may not be in any immediate danger of
getting killed in a wreck, we run the risk
all the time of killing somebody else and
being hauled up for it. Most people give
no consideration at all to our difficulties
On every corner people are ready to signal
US, and others expect us to stop instinct
lively for them whether they raise hand
or not. If We fail to stop exactly ar the
right place and time we are abused by the
passenger either through the conductor a
letter TO headquarters or straight to our
face
But 1 won't speak of cat so much, be-
cause know it is often through ignorance
that they blame us. What do want to say
is that the motorman in the city has more
responsibilities on his shoulders than the
engineer on the elevated engines or a sur
face locomotive outside of the city. One of
the worst dangers We have to encounter on
the crowded east side avenues come from
the small children. Many of these make it
practice TO run in front of the car to show
how brave they can be, and the motorman
feels his blood boil every time one of the
kids does this. 1t is hard to say always
whether the child is fooling or whether
Il
remember one day, after being bothered to
death with school children running in front
of the cars, making me stop and start the
car so often the passengers were getting
alarmed as TO my sanity. that 1 became
desperate and took risks that 1 would not
ordinarily do.
A DEAF BOY.
GA small boy finally stood in the middle
of the track, with his back to me, until 1
bad brought the car to a standstilI. At
first 1 had been half inclined not to stop,
but go ahead and let the child jump to one
side, as 1 knew he would do 1t was more
out of desire TO catch the venturesome
fellow that suddenly put on the brakes
and came to dead stop within half a foot
OF the youngster. leaped off the platform
and caught the boy by the arm in no tender
fashion. Then called policeman and or
dered him to arrest the boy. The lad was
considerably frightened at my sudden on
slaught, and then after some explanation
we found that he was so deaf that he had
not heard the approach of the car or the
ringing of my bell. His mother had stopped
IN neighboring store, and he had wan
dered into the middle of the track to look
down the avenue
You can imagine after that incident
did not take anything for granted but
stopped every time for child or grown-un
person If had run over that deaf boy
would have been called e. hard-hearted
murderer and claSSed with other criminals
In fact, / would have stood a good chance
or being mobbed. Deaf people have no
business to cross avenues in New York
without attendance, or at least unless they
look both ways for danger. Yet they do it
persistently, and you would be surprised
how we have to look out for them. To us
every man or woman who crosses the track
IN front of US is a possible deaf person. We
ciang the gong. and If they do not look up
we feel sure that We have discovered one.
We give that person all the time he or she
needs TO get out of the
Ihen there are the near-sighted people,
and they are legion. They can only see a
lew lengths OF the car away; and they in
Variably get right in the middle OF the track
and stop TO look both ways. Curious, isn't
IT, how they will stand where they may
be knocked over any instant, and then take
this. but they will in most cases look the
wrong way first. If they are on the up
town track. they will look up first. and
then down You would think that their
common sense would teach them what to
do first. Then, If you ring the bell. they
start as If suddenly hit by a cannon ball,
and for brief time you do not know what
they viii do next. II is an even question
whether they will run across the track or
retreat Sometimes they will waiver for
several seconds, and even start 10 cross
the car under good control and slow speed
until they have made up their minds which
way 30 proceed.
But we can generally manage matters
sudden and unexpected that nearly fright
ems the life out of us. You may think we
are all strong. hard-hearted brutes, and
that nothing bothers our nerves, but can
assure you for the whole force that our
hearts are brought up into our threats
dozen times a day. i have felt the blood
leaving my heart many time by some
wheelman shooting round corner in front
of the car. or horse and carriage dashing
across the avenue regardless of who has
the right of way. 1t makes one sick at
heart and faint after such a scare. 1t may
be fun for the bicycle scorcher and the
coachman. but it's a different matter for
the nnotorman. We don't get hardened TO
the matter, either; we can't do that for
there is the danger all the time of mis-
hap. haven't had accident yet. and
i hope to God / never WILL but / wouldn't
dare boast OF il. / never go on my car in
the morning without feeling that 1 may
land in the police station house before
night, charged with manslaughter. That
isn't the pleasantest sensation for a man
10 carry about with him day after day. /
would much prefer to take the risk OF my
own life in my hand, and know that IL any
thing happened IL would concern nobody
but myself.
SEES NOTHING BUT THE TRACK.
Tho other day one of the passengers
made the remark to me that on pleasant
days I must have an easy time OF ii. and