The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
Waving Polished Lanterns and Call
ing "AlI Aboard" Not the Limit
of Their Activities.
RESPONSIBILITY IS HEAVY
LIVES OF PASSENGERS AND SAFETY
OF TRAINS IN THEIR KEEPING.
Constant WatchfuIness to Guard
Against Fraud Necessary-How q
Passenger Run Is Made.

There is nothing more fascinating TO q
small boy than 10 be on a railroad train
at night when il is standing at some way
station when the conductor gives the Gus
tomary ''all aboard" and he feels the train
slowly commence moving. The boy at once
resolves that he will follow this mode Of
life when he grows up no matter what his
parents desire him TO do. The job Of con-
ductor on a passenger train has attract
iveness not only for boys. but the remark
is often made by business men that IL is a
position they have always desired. The
travelling public, too. watches with interest
the man in his neat uniform as he stands
in the aisle OF a fast-moving car. his feet
wide apart. so as 10 balance himself, crit
ically reading a ticket. The position Is at
tractive largely because conductor is al
ways on the go. and changes OF scene and
new incidents are constantly occurring.
A conductor recently remarked that most
people envied him because they never
seemed to be doing anything but walking
up and down. but he contended that the
life of a conductor is very similar to that
OF fireman or an engine. People see a
train pulling into the station. the fireman
with his head out OF the window lazily pull
ing the bell. but more than likely the only
time the fireman has had time TO sit down
during the whole trip was when the train
was coming into the station. Passengers
see the easiest part of a conductors work.
for the waving OF his lantern. the ''all
aboard" and the collecting OF tickets is
nothing compared with attending TO train
orders, registering along the way and fig
uring each ticket report
AS this city is a railroad center many
conductors, both freight and passenger, re-
side here, and besides these are many who
run in here that live at the other end Of the
division. Officers of the local lodge say
they have 240 members who are on the road
as conductors. The lodge also has a large
membership Of men who were at one time
in charge of trains but who have given IL
UP for other pursuits.
FREIGHT CONDUCTORS.
The passenger conductor is the man
whom every one comes in contact with.
There are however, few people who know
that a freight train has conductor, for he
is never heard Of only when wreck oc-
ours. The work he has is somewhat easier
than that of the man on the passenger
train because he has no tickets TO look
after. He simply has to interpret his train
orders. keep a record of the cars that he
has in his train and where they were taken
on and let off. The undesirable part Of his
work is the switching which occurs at
every little way station unless the train
Is a through freight The freight men say
that they generally find the car that has to
be dropped is in the middle Of the train,
and il requires a great amount of switch
ing to get il on the siding the way the peo-
pie to whom IL is consigned want IL. Take,
for instance, when the thermometer is how
ering near zero and the tops and steps o.
the box cars are covered with ice and snow.
1t is dangerous thing 10 climb around
them as these trainmen do and how
they manage to stand, walk and run over
the tops Of fast moving cars is a mystery
which they themselves cannot explain.
Every once in while one OF them slips
and falls. and the fate he meets is IA
miliar to all newspaper readers. There are
also large numbers of them each year who
have their arms and legs crushed and are
manned in other ways These accidents the
general public never hears of. Since the
government has compelled all OF the roads
to use couplers that can be operated from
the outside and the men not required
TO go between the cars the per cent. or
deaths has fallen off among trainmen but
now the way in which the majority of them
get injured and killed is by falling between
the cars and in switching in the yards
The conductor on the freight train when
going over the road sits in the tower of the
caboose where he can observe everything
that takes place on the track both in the
front and the rear. In his crew besides the
engineer and fireman two brakemen
one OF whom is known as the front-end
man. who rides I'm the engine cab and looks
after all tagging and switching OF the
front end of the train. The other man IS
known as the rear brakeman. who rides in
the caboose. He sees TO all of the rear
tagging and switching. and he and the
conductor alternate watches in the caboose
tower. When riding in the tower IL is an
easy matter TO flag any train which ap-
proaches from the rear. and the tops Of the
cars are easily gained that the engineer
of the train can be quickly signaled when
any accident occurs at the rear end. such
as the breaking I'm two OF the train.
A passenger train is made up in the yards
and pulled to the station by yard engine
and there the road engine is coupled on and
the conductor takes charge of the train.
Every conductor who is 10 take passenger
train out must report at the superintend-
ent's office half an hour before his train II
scheduled to leave. This is done so that
he can receive instructions as to how many
cars he is TO carry. and also IL any of them
are specials show cars. II there are
any carloads of horses expressed through
he has TO take charge of these, for when
handled by express companies horse cars
are hauled on regular passenger trains
After he has received his instructions there
he goes to the ticket receiver. who gives
him orders concerning special passengers
he is 10 have on his train and all orders
concerning transportation. II is In this
department that he gets all information
concerning lost and stolen tickets and also
those that are out OF date IL is through
the ticket receiver that he finds out about
which tickets he must be careful Of and
which ones TO look for People would be
surprised at the number of tickets that
are lost and stolen each year. for the sum
of money they represent is enormous.
LOST TICKETS.
| The Western Passenger Association every
] year furnishes TO each conductor book