The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14
ENGINEER NEEDS CLEAR HEAD.

pittsburs Chronicle telegraph.


There is no occupation in which clear mind
10 so necessary as In that Of locomotive en-
James r. Brown. of the Pittsburg & Lake Erie
Railroad. "A man who has any disposition to
indulge IN the use OK alcoholic stimulahts or VINO
should never undertake service as a locomotive
engineer, either in the freight or passenger de-
partments OF service. and especially in the pas
senger service. whereupon the engineer is i'm
posed great responsibility involving the safety
at is when the engineer is not exactly him.
SELF whatever may be the cause. that the vital
test seems to come nearly every time. Some
times 1t is great wreck which results because
the mind of the engineer Is not equal to the oc-
CASTOR. have never known one engineer of
gloomy and melancholy disposition to grow old
In the service of engineer Such men are either
Killed or discharged rom the service before they
are not likely TO be engaged by the company IL
their dispositions are known. but If they do
rear of another train.
trouble Of various kinds and of them do not
remember one who ran engine for more than
Ave years. 1t seems that they cannot concentrate
their minds cannot keep them concentrated
upon what they are doing. 1 have known some of
they had green block or a white block, and to
run at a speed beyond their control straight into
.'Of course. not ali railroad disasters are to be
credited to the engineers. but there are many of
them which, the engineer happ os6ss to De pos,
are by quick attention of the man at the throttle
During my thirty -four years OF service ! re-,
some serious results.
II happen to remember an engineer who en-
tered the service Of the Panhandle Railroad
Company while was running on its road. 1 do
not wish to give his name, and that is not neces-
sary.. knew something of his home life and it
was by means pleasant Ii might have
been. He used to lose himself in gloomy thoughts
upon his troubles. One night his train met with
a fearful disaster In which he met death, with
bis fireman several other trainmen and ten or
fifteen passengers The cause OF the wreck was
not certain to persons unacquainted with the en-
gineer and some other details OF the wreck. 1t
was undoubtedly enc of many accidents which re-
suit from troubled mind in the engine cab
II have made II a fixed rule never to 20 out
until I am CONFIDENT Of being In a condition at
10 act quickly and rightly In an emergency.
To this policy / attribute the fact tina. 1 have
never been in a wreck due to any fault of mine,
Ing the thirty-four years OF my service"
The worst wreck in which Mr.. Brown figured
was I'm a tunnel on the Panhandle In 1877, when
his train, a fast passenger train. ran into a
work train In the tunnel The tunnel was filled
with the debris Of the disaster and several people
lost their lives. Brown was badly injured. The
cause of the wreck was due to failure on the
part of the fagman Of the work train to flag the
passenger train. He was also in a bad wreck at
sons were killed. but injuries were received
By the engineer The passenger train ran into
an open switch because of the failure of the
Mr.. Brown began service as passenger engi-
neer in September OF 1869 with the Panhandle
until % s1 tben WIN mat h
timore & Ohio with which railroad he worked
until going to the Pittsburg & Erie in 1881. He
the service. and Is now fifty-two He has made
an enviable record with each of the three COM
Considered by the Pittsburg & Lake Erie as n ons
cf It's most reliable engineers. He hauls train
No. % from Pittsburg TO Youngstown and No. IA
from Youngstown to Pittsburg. He resides at