The sun., 1901-10-17

worked continuously for the same COM
pany ever since. Not only does he claim
to be the oldest locomotive engineer in
the country, but he asserts also that.
while on duty he has travelled more miles
than any other man that ever pulled .
lever in an engine cab.
Talking recently, Mr.. McCurdy, be-
tween puffs at his pipe, said:
Il began away back in the era of
strap rails, when it was customary for
men TO walk the track carrying bags of
| spikes and big iron mauls to nail down
! the straps which We're in the habit Of
!: curling up, and which if not attended
to would stick mp through a car or loco
motive cab. In those days men did not
have to serve as firemen before getting
engines, as they arc compelled to do now.
| fired only about Il year and half, and
have been running an engine ever since.
There was no coal III those days; we
used wood entirely.
Il can remember when we RIM trains
without the use of the telegraph Then
we had regular meeting points, and whom
nm engineer arrived at such place. and
finding that the other train had not
shown up, we proceeded ahead. feeling
for the train we should have met. /.
NdS NHSltilaIN 10 SEMI II brakeman
ahead with flag on stretches of road
way where the track was crooked. AMI
the train would follow cautiously Meet
ing the other train. it was the rule that
the engineer who had lost time should
back back to the nearest side track
Very often this practice would lie the &C.
casion for heated arguments between IT,
engineers as to which should do the
! laplip0 Satftatip1nc hot ln;r
and struck on the rails until n higher.
power settled the controversy
Il had the first air brake to be put in
use by our company. 1t was a crude af-
fnr as compared with what we have
these times. The present machinery Of
the air brake is much more effective and
all Of the engineers are thoroughly drilled
in the use Of it. An instructor travels
about in car equipped with all Of the
machinery now made nse of in braking
III kinds Of trains. At an appointed time
N engineer is slimmond to the ear,
whore he must satisfactorily explain the
working of the minutest part of the CON
trivance.
Few Of the people who ride in com
Portable coaches and palatial parlor ears
and Sleepers know what it is for an on
gineer to give them safe ride and to
keep them warm and comfortable for the
engineer Of these times must do all Of
such things. When | began had moth
ing to 10 but to start and stop the en-
.sine while on the rail Now we must
brake the whole train. heat it and iii
many instances light il. Then there is
the never relaxing lookout for safety.
Sometimes ! have had to run the wllcle
length Of my division through the hcavi-
est fogs. The snow heating on the fire
loX will render the outside of ii cold
enough for you to lay your hand on it.
| have known icicles to form on it. de-
spitn the fact that there was raging
tire inside. AL of this tends to retarl
#team making. and i'll these days when
W. hanl string of fourteen Sleepers and
~ steam we can make.
4 conservative estimate shows that
his man. who for half century has
hlHvel all kinds of weather in making
somewhere very nearly 10000 trips over
he road, has hauled approximately, A.
100000 people. He says that in all Of
that time he has never had n serious ac-
ci,lpnt. and that he has never cost his
company i cent. He lives in this city.
alone with his wife, his four childre,l
having died when they We're young. Dur
ing the summer he takes \ lay-off to en-
/ 10y his favoritc sport. fishing, and for
this purpose he HES himself to the fa-
mons fishing grounds near Topinabaa
Mich. which is reached by the railway
system on which he is employed.