The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-12-17
WAITING FOR ACCIDENTS.
Living Made by People Who Are EN-
ployed to Stand By and
Look On.

OF all the weary jobs by which men
earn their daily bread, the worst is that
OF looking on. Those engaged in this
work-if such it may be called-do abb
solutely nothing. They are paid for
waiting for definite something to hap
pen, and that something may be near
of it may be remote
At the present moment. says Cas-
sells Journal of recent date. number
of men have an inexpressibly dull job
watching a large reservoir. Some
time back subsiGeEces. cue 10 mining,
took place in the neighbCshood, with
the result that large cracks appeared
In the sides OF the reservoir And ever
since then some corporation employees
have had the embanh ments constantly
under observation, ready to act Instant
ly they gave any sign of collapsing. But
how would they themselves fare?
Equally creary was the job Of num-
Der of plate.ayers, VIXEN one of the
tubes with watch LanGon is being
honeycombe6 was under construction.
This particular bore passed very close
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way companies and, as it was feared
that some damage might be done to
this line 10y the human noles. watch
was kept Oh it Gay and nish fer months
at a stretch.
Practically the same thing was done
when railway company cut through a
certain tow. in the Mi.lands, only in
this case the watchers were ION the
other Size. The object. in fact, was to
see that the narvies cid not break pipes,
etc., though all eye was also kept on
walls which might collapse.
On the Chester and Holyhead line
watching is an important part of the
platelayers' regular work Under GER
tain conditions there is some danger
that the sea may wash away the en-
bankment, and undermine the rails
So during storms the platelayers turn
out, and, battling in the teeth of the
gale, watch the line for hour after hour.
1t is weary work; but many disas-
ter has heen averted by the weather.
beaten watchers. A goods train once
plunged into the sea through the sup
port of the rails having been swept
away, and, but for a platelayer, there
is no doubt that an express would have
shared it's fate.
1t is customary, too, to provide a
watcher when bridge is being con-
structei or repaired. Seated in boat,
he hangs about the whole day, ever idle,
except when man falls into the wa
ter. He is paid, in fact, to act as res
cuer when necessary.
While he is below, the men do not
fear fall, even when a half-holiday is
not attached to it. On some jobs, those
workers who get ducking are allowed
to so home for the remainder of the
day, and when this is the case the num-
Der Of such accidents on Monday morn
ing, and few hours before an impor-
tant football match, is remarkable.
But where no benefit is derived from
ducking, many workers will lightly
risk it. While, for instance, a certain
high bridge was under repair a me-
chanic coolly ran to the end of a pole
extending from the ironwork, stood on
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then, getting on his feet again, balanced
himself on one leg. For this folly he
was discharged.
Sewer work is another job on which
a man is commonly employed to play
the part of an idler. He is, however
necessary, because a thunderstorm
will cause an enormous quantity of wa
b, ter to descend into sewer with amaz.
ing suddenness. In many cases men
have lost their lives through this
! cause, and in not a few their bodies have
been borne away by the tide, and not
recovered for days. So a watcher is
now frequently stationed near man.
hole, and in the event of downpoul
from the heavens, he Immediately
sounds an alarm, which quickly brings
the men below to the surface.
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