The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-05
RAILROAD NEWS.
Newspaper Man Visits the Town
Of Belen, N. NJ.
Scene Of Great Operations on
Santa Fe Cut Off.
ROWING WORK EN-.
Men DO Not Stay on the job
Very Long.
Lantrys Furnish a High Class
of "Grub.a
ROWING WORKMEN.

A correspondent Of the Albuquerque /
Journal-Democrat. writing from Belen.
NJ NJ. the end of the Santa Fe cut-oft, I
SAYS.
Scattered along a path of broken and
torn-up earth from the little, active
town Of Belen TO many miles into the
Abo valley are to be found more than
fifteen white tented cities. Inhabited by
an army of that wandering species OF
humanity known as the railroad grader
The name OF railroad grader carries /
with 1T more significance than the un-
thinking person or the casual observer
would imagine This army of men, ap-
Dearances and conditions would make
us believe. live an uneVenttui and I'M
interesting life. cut off from the great
busy and active world as they are
True it is that they live an isolated
existence Tor months at a time. but
they are seemingly contented with
their work and mode of living.
Men have been known to follow this
line Of work on the railroad from early
manhood TO their last days OF toll. ana
at the close of their labors they have
no more than they started with For.
as hard as they toll and as fair as
their remuneration frequently is the
men who follow this class of railroad
ing seldom Put anything away Tor the
prOverbial rain.r day.
TO the unambitious man, who merely
exists. this employment offers many
attractions. A curious fact yet an in
dlsputable one. is that once a man or
the average labOring class starts on the
grade he seldom leaves off for other
work. There are many reasons why the
restless man follows this vocation. He
stays at no one camp any great length
OF time. As fast as one Job is finished
he goes to another or more often he
changes on every pay day. Usually hi
Wanders from camp to camp. working
a week or month at each, until he has
SATISFIED himself as to which is the
finest outfit on the line He makes this
important decision on the quality ana
quantity of food set up at the differ
ent camps. There is no place in the
world where the contractors or commits
sary paws more attention to the bill of
fare than at these camps. because it is
generally tie that binds the wander
ing workman to a camp They make
a sLud-r OF the best methods to satisfy
the cravings of the inner man.
Railroad graders as a general rule
nave no homes or ties that bind them
70 any special part of the country They
are men OF wandering temperament
having no home or place they can call
their own they refuse to be domestiea-
ted or localized. Many of them like The
work because 1t carries with it no re-
spohsloilitles, and no consciousness of
restraint There is no worry about
where the next meal is COMING from
or where they win lay their tired bodies
at night, and furthermore they are GER
tain OF S25 or $50 at the end of each
month, which usually lasts them about
three days.
They can work at a job for dav or
year Just as they please They can
lay off one day and be reinstated the
next They can be fired from one camp
or quit of their own free Will and oh
tam employment in the next They do
not know the real value of money. if is
simply used for a limited good time af-
Ter pay day AS soon as it has hean
gambled or drank up they go to work
e4rlsf
ly provided for by the companv's cook
Aney get their clothing from the com
Hiissary. or the robbissary, as the waes
amongst them call it, just as they need
what few garments they wear What
ever amount Of money they have at the
ehd OF their services means lust so
nuch pQoze and high life as long as
I. Easts- sually they have little left
Nearly all of them drink and the sa
loon grafters from all parts Of Tho
country follow up the camns to mil
out with nice bunch of money when
the OUTFIT is moved or the work is COM
pleted. It is all easy money. for one
the grader starts to drink there is mn
stopping until his money is completely
swallowed up.
Perhaps SO per cent of them play po-
ker In this they are the victims of no
sharks They play their own game and
IL would not be wise for a man who
puts any value ON his life to be caught
In a crooked play.
f'e-t~lNAeAS liAAitl lAle players draw time
checks for the amount they wish ~
play The game runs all Saturday
night and all day Sunday. 1t is gener-
ally limited to this period because the
men need their rest all the other night
Their work is a trade and the man who
has fair intelligence in a few years
becomes almost invaluable to an OUTFIT
sometimes man stays with the
same outfit for number of years. Not
inIrequently a number Of men viii do
so. In the end they always secure the
best playing positions. The foremen
plowmen. blacksmith. machine men and
cooks are the best paid in the outfit
and In many instances remain with the
same outfit
Removed entirely from the society of
women and all the refining Influences
the grade laborer is not refined but at
present it is hard to find man more
necessary TO the welfare of New MeNi-
CO. since the railroads mean a nov era
in the commercial development of the
southwest. and it is a great blessing he
IS here in such overwhelming numbers
The Journal Democrat correspondent