The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-28

asked the PreSldenC whether he
thought he'd done it on purpose. was
fresh, altogether too fresh-but, just
the same, I know how he felt"
So said a New York motorman with
a gilt band on his sleeve, as with the
lighting OLA fresh pipe, a reminiscent
look came into his eyes.
You see, it's this way: When we get
into a smash-up the first thing we feel
is the awful shock-physical and ner-
vous-a feeling that heaven and earth
are coming together and we're right
smack in the middle. Then there
comes a sickening sensation of sorrow
for having hurt some one, and at last
an indefiniable fury with the person
hurt. for nine chances out of ten it was
his fault, not ours.
Now hold on a minute. Don't say
we are a reckless lot, until you've
heard our side of the story. Ever no.
tice the peculiar yell a motorman gives
when he's almost run you down? You
think it is a warning, don't you? Well,
II amt. 'Twould be too late for warn
ing 1t is just an expression of horror
at what he has almost done. And then
YOU look up, and wave your umbrella
and threaten to report him to the COM
pany and use epithetS not found in the
Books of Moses, and wonder why the
motorman looks so mad anyhow. But
lust the same, after you get over this
scare say in about forty eight hours,
you're back at your old trick of dodg-
ing between two cars coming from OPP
posite directions
Whenever L read something in a
paper about the unfeeling motorman
that has run down some helpless child,
! get just 'dotty' mad. Unfeeling, What
do reporters know about the way the
mortOrman feels? If a man in such a
position is wise he says nothing His
company respects an employe Eho does
not talk until he is put on the witness
stand, or is called up to report before
his superiors. A motorman may be
standing coolly at his post after an ac-
cident while his inspector is taking
the names of witnesses, etc, but there
is no telling what sort of a Mt. Pelee
is doing business inside of him. His
teeth may be set hard, but there's a
sick feeling swelling up inside of him,
wild disire to yell out, or to sob
aloud, or do some other fool thing.
And every time he sees an ambulance
for weeks afteward it'll make him
turn cold.
Dreaming of Accidents.
'T remember when 1 first started in
1t was over on the East Side in New
York where babies are thicker than
flies, and where every trip meant two
or three close shaves. Why, sir, I'd
wake up nights with a yell of warn
ing, thinking there was a youngster
on my track. 1t fairly got on my
wfe's nerves, and finally 1 made up
my mind I'd have to take it cooler or
give up the job A motorman whose
nerves get on edge is useless to the
company. 1t needs a calm, easy go
ing philosophical chap for that sort of
work.
1T is generally supposed that a mo-
torman loses his job if he has trouble
on the line, but this is a mistake. The
company finds that a man who has
had his little accident and was not
to blame in the matter generally makes
a safer motorman than the new hand
whose nerves get on edge. have
known good steady men to
score a fatal accident and aft
er proving that they were not to
blame, report for duty two days
later and go right over the same run.
They are sorry, of course, but fretting
won't help them nor the company and
it more likely to cause nervousness
and another accident. Then again a
man will be SO unstrung that he will
report to the superintendent that he
prefers some other line of work. If
he has been a satisfactory employee he
may be put at work in some other
department., in the offices, or around
the barns. This, of course, is with the
proviso that the company does not hold
MIN liable for the accident.
ChiIdren's Dangerous Franks.
How can a motorman be wholly
blameless in an accident? Easy?
For instance, take cases where chill
dren wilfully, yes, maliciously, dodge
back and forth before the cars. You
can see it every day on the Third ave-
nue. lines. With the new ratchet brake,
we can stop car in forty-five yards,
put What is fortyfive yards when
little rascal suddenly decides to see
now near he can come to being hit
without doing it?
remember about six years ago, my
WIFE took it into her head to go back
10 her home in Chicago, so l threw up
my Job in New York and got a run
mat took me right through what is
hloWn as the Polack quarters. We had
d nat cut that way, too, and if there
IL anything more aggravating than
toiack youngster with a streak of
american devilmen stirred in, I'd like
you TO show it,
There was one boy who seemed to
mihk that because he lived in our
Heishporhood it was fun to scare the
moIorman, and he'd give me heart fail
"e Just about once in so often !
epUhe to his father about it, but the
Tlu man got gay and talked back. At
iaSl When the kid had been particular
y dsgraVating one day, l armed my
5 with a good long blacksnake whip
ai'i as l jerked up my car, presum-
pP to spare the little DEVILS life, [
N'Hed over and warmed his legs good
~'u plenty. Well, his father took the
hhaller up with the company, telling
ss SIDE of the story only. When the
upeilntendent heard my side, he just
e"H4ed and said that If the motormen
ie all equipped with blacksnake
lips perhaps the company would have
t manages to pay. And that was
iast l heard of the case.
Trolley Car Suicides.
seems liRe a nasty choice for
goa OF committing suicide, but sure
o maj more persons than you dream
t9 by this route.
y,"oiuy after / got back to New
was running on the Amsterdam
Hh". aud, you know, we make
5 good time going down those
t aaw chap standing in fhe
"i The block. near the tracks,
BY YEA 10 him 10 go on 10 the cor
fU. Nf stopped lie didn
a. HlA when we came spinning
~ Nr lhrew himself right in 'front.'
h. rag an9 we were over him Dc.