The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-03-11
IN idle MOMENTS.

veteran of the earlier days to a re-
porter. "You can notice 1t especially
in the condition of engines now, since
the men do not have the personal
care of the machines which they run.
You know 1t used to be that each en-
gineer and fireman took a personal in
terest in keeping his engine in the
finest trim and perfect working con-
dition and was as proud of his loco
motive as any horseman could be of a
thoroughbred.
Our old engines used to have lots
of brass trimmings and these were
kept shining like FURNISHED gold.
Many's the time I've worked all day
Sunday, when l used to shovel coal,
cleaning and polishing every part OF
my engine, SO that when we went out
Monday morning she was sight to
make one envious.
"Of course, more attention was paid
to looks then than now, when loco
motives are built for service without
regard to appearance, but there was
no discount on the working ability of
our machines for the day in which they
were built. There is one thing certain;
they were seldom giving out on the
road from unknown causes, for every
engineer knew almost to a certainty
just what he could get from his engine,
because he was acquainted with all
its whims and I'll tell you engines
have their whims just the same as peo-
pie or horses and you've got to know
just how to handle them to get the
best results.
Nowadays the men have no time
for such things and the engines are
knocked around any old way, each
man getting out Of them what he can
without caring whether they are used
properly or not. So it isn't much
wonder that they are continually be-
ing sent to the shops for repairs, es-
pecially when the roads are so hard
run for motive power that engines can
not be spared long enough even for
proper repairs"
When druggist tells about the un-
pleasant feature of his business, he
never fails to mention the stamp GUS
toners. They ask to be waited upon at
times when there is more profitable
business in sight, and many of them
demand more attention and take up
more of the druggists time than peo-
pie who come to buy fancy articles
or to have prescriptions compounded.
The stamp customer is looked upon as
a nuisance until the rival drug store
becomes substation of the postoffice.
Then the druggist begins to realize
that the person who buys a stamp
may want a piece of soap or tooth
brush, or bottle of something on
which there is druggists modest
profit. Then he often puts a sign in
his window by which his nefghbors
may see that he carries a full line |
Of postage stamps and postal cards,
and that his directory is always at the
service of the public; and that incl
dentally he compounds prescriptions
One enterprising druggist on North |
Market street introduced a novel fea-
ture in his postage stamp business
He keeps the stamps in compartments
which have been favored in various
ways, and when a customer asks for
4 stamp he inquiries: What flavor
will you have, lemon, vanilla, winter
green or peppermint" The customer
Usually looks mystified, but soon dis
covers that the stamps are really
favored. and the druggist thinks he
has hit upon a way to retain his
stamp business.
"a rather queer incident happened
lp- near Vermillion, Ohio, a few days
igo," said a well known travelling
nan at the Wheeling depot Tuesday.
Near Vermilion on the Lake Shore
abroad is steep embanlSment and
is a freight train was passing that
,oint a broken fiange on a car wheel
,ansed car near the center of the
rain to be derailed. The car tore
ooso from it's couplings. front and
ear, and plunged down the embank-
nent.
THE strange part of the affair was
hat its loss was not discovered by the
rainmen until when checking up their
rain at the end Of the run they found
me car short. After the break the
rain had closed up and the automatic
ouplers again connected the two parts.
I was some time before the missing
ar was located and rescued from its
'osition."
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