The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10

~0N one OF the very coolest and
ANI stormiest days OF last week, while
a sleetstorm prevailed and every
Ift4ris thing outdoors was cased in ice, L
~Hsa stood in the office Of a Pennsylva-
MIA railroad official at Louisville, overlook
ing a vast yard of endless switches and
sidings, over which shifting trains and loco
motives were moving like so many huge
shuttles. ~ rugged-looking young man,
wearing a cap. rusty blue reefing jacket,
a flannel shirt and baggy trousers stuffed
in high rubber boots, entered the office, took
off his cap. and as soon he could get his
breath thus addressed the official:
II want to leave my name for the job o
bralin' on Freight Train So Jimmy Riley 5
out or II. he Just got cut IN two over IN the
yard. The train was comm in purity lively,
an the cars was icy on top. The engineer
whistled for brakes an Jimmie started TO
run over the top o the train. He slipped
an fell betwixt two cars. He hit on the
bumper. an grabbed to save himself. but he
couldn't ketch, nothin' an dropped on 10
the rail- Both trucks went over him. Me
an another Teller was there. an we started
for here as fast as We could go TO ask for
Jimmies place. L got here first. an I'd
like the job first rate If you could give II
to me, sir.
The railroad official promised to hold the
application for consideration, and the man
went out. evidently We'll pleased;
There is no calling" said the official,
when the man had gone, $50 best with dan
ger and hardships that of a railroad
brakeman, especially on long freight trains
and yet, if there should be twenty brakemen
killed on this or any other road to-day
there would be as many applicants for each
mans place as soon as the news of his
death became known. The man who was
just here was an eyewitness of Riley 5
fearful death, and yet whatever impression
it made upon him was lost in appreciation
of the fact that the dead man had left
place to be filled by some one else. This
prompted him TO act at once. and he lost
not a second in securing all the advantage
priority Of application might give him
INTO DEAD MEMS SHOES.
Every railroad has hampering about its
yards and stations small army of these
anxious applicants for chances TO step into
dead mems shoes. They are chiefly men
who have followed railroading all their
lives, and have lost their jobs for some
cause. Railroading is good deal like poll
tics. If gets into it once he isn't
worth snap for anything else. And so if
he gets out of it he is constantly on the
lookout for the opportunity that he believes
must come TO let him in again. There ism I
one among this class of men / refer TO who
does not feel genuine sorrow when a rail-
road man is killed, and not one of them
would hesitate to risk his own life to save
that OF any trainman in danger, although
he might be sure that the death of that man
would give him a long-hoped for place on
the road; yet they haunt the tracks and the
station yards day after day watching the
switching and coming and going of trains
knowing that sooner or later some one Of
the men on those trains is bound TO be killed
or MANNED into helplessness. 1t SENS that
there were only two OF these men near
to witness the shocking death of Riley
to-day, and when others hear of 1t and that
an application for Riley's place was put in
an hour or so ahead of them, they will be-
moan the hard luck that had kept them
from being present when the accident oc-
CURED and robbed them Of an equal chance