The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-17
WRECKING CREWS WORK
THE MEN AND TRAINS THAT
ARE HURRIED

Car Tratn-The Men Picked For the
| Work Regularly.
One long, one short blast of the whis-
tie of the Panhandle shops repeated
six times means that there is a wreck
and that the wrecking crew is wanted.
Immediately after this blowing, espe-
cially if it happens to be at night when
all of the men are at home, there is
great hurrying in the neighborhood
and men can be seen running from ev-
cry direction as fast as they can, for
as soon as the wrecking train can be
pulled out on the main track and an
! engine coupled to it it is gone. There
! Is no time whatever allowed the men
for unnecessary preparations. The
whistle which gives the signal can be
heard for about four miles. It's blast
is not particularly shrill, but is eX-
ceedingly penetrating. To one who does
not know the meaning of the signal
it tells of distress in the weirdness of
| its sound.
The men that compose the wrecking
crew fully realize when they go home
at night that before the sun again rises
they may be miles away working on
some disaster and it is this uncertainty
of the life that makes them like it. 1t
| is life very similar to that of mem
Der of the fire department, or it might
more properly be compared to that of
a United States life saver along the
coast.
1t seems strange, but if man once
gets into this branch of railroad SER
vice he seldom quits, for there is fas-
cination about the work that appeals
to any one who likes excitement and
uncertainty. The nervous and physi-
cal strain that these men undergo some
| times tests their endurance to the ut
| most. 1t is very noticeable fact rail-
| road men say, that the men who have
been members of the wrecking crew for
any length of time genrally look from
ten to fifteen years older than they
really are.
The men who make up the crew when
not doing wrecking duty are employed
in the shops as car repairers and
builders; the instant, though. that they
hear the whistle each man drops every
thing and hurries to the train. The
reason that men employed in the shops
are chosen to do this work is that their
experience in building cars teaches
them how they can best be handled. A
train of box cars, for instance, which
! has been smashed all to pieces and
which would look to the ordinary OBJ
server as nothing more than a shape
/ less mass, can be cleared away by
these men until considerable salvage
can be got out of the pile of ruins
Whole tops of cars can be saved, to-
gether with large sections of their sides
and trucks that are twisted and bent
can be Strengthened until they are
again serviceable. BY the Wrecking
crew being all old and experienced men
they are able to save the railroad COM
pany many thousands of dollars each
year.
The wrecking crew proper is compos-
ed of fifteen men besides the wreclzing
master. These men are on duty at all
times, and during the twenty-four
hours of the day must be within hear
ing and running distance IF the whis-
tie. If one of them desire to go down
town at night or on Sunday he has to
first apply to the wrecking master, who
appoints another man to go with the
crew in his place. At the time the man
asks for leave from duty he must state
exactly at what time he will return, for
after the hour he names the substitute
will not answer for him. If the whistle
blows and one of the men does not an
swer he will be asked for an explana-
ton, and if his excuse is not deemed
satisfactory by the officials he will
either be dropped from the crew or dis
missed by the company altogether. The
redeeming feature of being member
of the wrecking crew is that he re-
ceives very good pay. Every man gets
% cents an hour from the time the
whistle blows until the train is back
again. Of course it is eldom that they
ever get back under twenty-four hours.
A portion of this time is consumed in
going and coming from the wrecks,
during which time the crew does moth
ing, for the train is in charge of a con-
ductor, two brakemen and the engine
men who have full charge of the run
ming of it. This part Of their work is
lazy. Where the men earn more than
their pay is when the scene of the dis
aster is reached. They have to work
quickly, and the taking apart of cars
and engines is exceptionally heavy and
laborious. After they have put in
long day at the shops, then to be called
out and have to work all night, as is
often the case, tests their endurance al
most beyond comprehension.
The train that carries the wrecking
crew is not long one, consisting only
of four cars. The one In which the
men travel is the first, and is not built
like passenger car but is more on the
order of a caboose, only much larger
One end of it is arranged for a kitchen.
In here Their are large cooking range
and provisions enough to last three or
four days. These provisions are al
ways on hand and are kept iced, all the
time. When a wreck occurs a cook is
provided for the crew. Some years ago
they carried no provisions with them
and depended upon making arrange
ments with some one who lived near
the locality of where the wreck &C.
CURED to provide them with their meals
and the company settled the bill This
plan was not found satisfactory be-
cause suitable places were not always
available, and the men were often re-
quired to go for many hours without
anything to eat. The other end of the
coach is used as the living apartment
1t is in here that they spend their
time going to and coming from the
wrecks. This part of the car is ar