The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02
HOW WRECKING CREWS WORK.
THE MEN AND TRAINS THAT ARE
HURRIED TO RAILROAD WRECkS.
Quick Time I'm Getting Away when the
Wreck signal BiOws-An Interest.
ing FOur.lar Train - The Men
Picked for the Work Regularly.

means that there Is a wreck and that the
crew il wanted Immediately
after this blowing, especially II II happens
TO he at night when all of the men are at
home, there is great hurrying In the neigh
borhood and men can be seen running from
Every direction as fast as they can, for as
soon as the wrecking train can b" pulled
out on the main track and an engine coupled
to 1t it Is gone. There is no time
allowed the men for unneces-
sary preparations, The whistle which gives
the signal can be heard for about four miles.
Its blast Is not particularly shrill. bat Is ex-
ceedingly penetrating To one who does
not know the meaning OF the signal 1t tells
OF distress in the wsirdness Of its sound.
The men that compose the wreckng crew
fully realize when they go home at night
that before the sun again rises they may
bs miles away working on some disaster.
and IL is this uncertainty of the life that
makes them like il Ii is life very similar
to that of a member OF the fire department.
or 1t might more properly be compared to
that of a United States life saver along the
coast
It seems strange but II man once gets
into this branch ~ railroad service he seldom
quits. for there is fascination about the
work that appeals "a. any one who likes ex-
and rnce,ins uhr ms.yos so ana
times tests thoir endurance 70 the utmost
II 4 a very mott 'eshle fact railroad men say.
wrecking crew for any length OF lime generally
look from ten to fifteen years older than they
really are
doing wrecking duty are einbloyed IN the
shops as car reppirers and builders, ~" In
slant. though. that they hear the whistle
the train The reason that men employed
IN the shops are chosen 20 do this work Is that
k.x,. 80. ha.t he hl
smashed all to pieces and which would look
70 the Crdnary 06.srveI AZ 20 n9.n, rss aW ore
bv these men until considerable salyaEe can
be got ont Of the pile OF ruins Woe tors
Of cars can be saved. together with large
SECTIONS Of their sides. and trucks that ar.
twisted and bent can he straahtened until
they are again serviceahle. Bv The wreoklng
crew being all old and experienced rlen they
are able To say. the railroad company many
thousands Of dollars each wear.
The wrecking creT proper Is Gom' ,p",
ter These men are or duty at AZ times.
ard during tho tWenty-four hours OF the day
n %n ne be ~ T one OF SFa hrm
down town ut night or on Sunday he has TO
first apply 20 the wreckrg N ter. Who ap-
his place Al the time the man asks Tor
leave from duty he must state exactly az
what time he viii return, i0r after tne hS 5or
men docs not answer he will be asked Tor
an esIan9,tI9n and h II M, f,s o ssCi he Viii
either be dropped from the crew or oi.lnlsHea
by TIE company atogethsr me redee ilins
crew is that he receives very good pay, Every
man got ~ cents an hour from the time the
whistle bovs until the tran Il Sac cys a'a Ss,
back under twenty-four hours. po'ion
Of this time is consumed in going and coming
from the, wreck during which TINE tne cry, df
conductor. two brakemen and the engine
men who have full charge OF TIE runfirg OF
the scene OF the disaster Is reached. They
have 10 work quickly and the taSiine t apsr,
and Iabofious After they have PVT IN
long day at the shops, then to be called out
and have to work al night al u Vi'en ,n ,Ds
ca -e tests their endurance alno-t oeyohu
comprehen sion. A.. .,.,r, oror
Is not long c0nsstne Ghy o. ' ths trst
and il not built like passenger car but IL
more on the order OF caboosr, only nuch
larger One end OF II Is arranged Tor kncueh ,
In here there are large cooking range ana
provisions enough to last three or i9uf Gays
ssG nTCys0ns f1S "VSIEs on T wreeE oS
a cook ia provided for the crew. Some years
20 they carried no provisions WIN them
and dependDd Mpo1 vn nsS near ,he lossty OF
where the wreck occurred to provide them
With their meals. and the company settled
the hill This plan Was not found sat,siac-
tory because suitable places were not always
available, and the men Ner" often required
10 40 for many hours wlthout ehy'mhs 10
emit The other end OF the coaCh Is used as
the living apartment. II il in here that tney
spend their time going to and coming ron
the wrecks L9s par, OF in@ om T"r s Is or
tho men 10 rest in. In TINS car, in winch they
i've, the crew carries many OF ~ tools sHoh
az crow bars, picks, shovels, axes ana other
The second car is built on the order OF an
ordinary hox car and Is Hs,d ior the carry,
and other heavy appliances Tn the train
is also a fiat car loaded with an ordinary car
trucks these IRE token SIoH W,h so on ,ha' ,b
trucks dana ged. "a Is often the o'se, the
crew oln put jacks under the wrecked car
and raise i hish enough to co share ,o ,S
wrccking train and bring. II in The car
that brings UP the rfsr OF ,hr train s J, ohs
and carries a l1rge derrick. which IS used
for tho purpose OF raising parts OF cars, and
engines This derrick is constrnGted , r, upon
from the track can he laid 70 one side, Take
the wrccking train az whole, u Is o9ilt mnGh
stronger and more h nc 'HrHpe .nu
ahout H. for everything Is 80 arranged mat
nothing will hamper it In making all Of the
The The wrcckine train stands. on a side ira k
| in the wards. which gives It easy access to
the main track The Illle al 'he 'plnpdhy
| il that this siding shall never uhaer any
tho reason for this being that II wreck does
occur there will be no delay IN getting the
train on the roain line. In the ronndho'ise
there il always an engine Tor wreck duty,
kept fred ana carrying fuli amount OF
The number OF his engine is posted on the
bla ok board. for each day q a,nertht one Is
used. The instant tho whistle 9 ,f ne
hotter OF the round house runs 70 tne BOARD
and secs what engine i to so. ne tht y
JACKS il out on the turntabe, turns " around
md runs IL to the water TANK, where ne gets
a full supply of water, While pc mas b'en
doing this the wrpckiug crew has been gather
ing and yard engine has pulled the train
ont on the main track. The engine that Is TO
puil il is then ba cked down and coupled on; By
This time an engineer and fireman are found
10 run it, and In the next Few minutes the
wrpCking train u speeding over the ROAD ms
fast a. .toa IN can haul it
II seems a. though all OF these prcnnnar y
ARA n gc tneutS would take considerable time,
| knows his part 20 we'll and works with such
uromp,ue-s that everything II executed in a
very short time Recently the whistle blew,
tho men all hurried to the train H. usual, the
on zine was coupled and run as ar as the
Bet Railroad. when II was stopped
me crew tnrn ior tue IISt tln" learned
| tiat Il was heing tested by the general super.
Low long II took tuem to get OUT on the road
| lie WAS greatly pleased when hc found that
| from the time the whistle blew until the
train was upOn its way was Just seven MIN
utes OF course. at night II taxes little
longer for the mon have to come from Their
homes but oven then some OF me tims that
they make l. considered 10y railroad officials