The Washington times., 1905-07-02


congratulation. he said, You have made
good use of your time. Now take this
note to Mr.. Selk the chief train dis
patcher, who will put YOU through on
a book of rules. bring his verdict to me:
then I'll attend to marking YOU up A
few minutes later John presented the
paper to the official instanced. A brief
seance with that dapper individual re-
suited in the following note:
Jasper,
m. NJ. I have examined the bearer,
John Gray, upon book of rules, train
rights and orders and find him O X
to serve as engineer l. L. s."
"A1l right said Mr. Jasper, after
glancing the paper over. ALLOW me.
Engineer Gray. to congratulate you upon
a very creditable examination and also
TO allew man who has grown gray
upon railroad to give you a little dose
OF talk. The position TO which you have
attained is one OF the most responsible
neld by men Except the train dis
patcher no one in railway service COM
pares with you. You are the brains of
the train and In addition its eyes and
hands. The absolute control of hun
dreds o. tons of property rushing at cy-
clone speed, the preservation of count
rests with you alones The captain of
an ocean liner stands g. divided wa.cb
the strong hands of others rest unon
wheel and throttle. but you watch. guide
ana protect alone. Never forget that
your hrst duty is to the trusting lives
oehino YOU Under-cylindered engines
ana TOO highly rated tonnage, combined
with schedules originating across green
tables III distant Cities are a nro1if3c
source OF danger to many an ambitions
engineer.
never allow course Of conduct thar
VIII give You the reputation of being .
down hill runner" Never try RI -
tify other mems mistakes at the er-
pense Of your conscience and others,
lives. Trains derailed upon rough tracks
or overturned on sharp curves repre-
sent heavy loss in coin and nrest;ea
10 the fellows that foot the bills. and
| when big sticks flourish around back
|, rooms In general Offices fur begins to
| ny. Ihe little fellow who a week
| oeIore, as you. after Strengthening all
.ne curves. springing each bridge and
Ignoring all slow and limit orders on
your division, dashed into terminal ahead
OF cloud Of dust ION the dot" slammed
/
best on the pike etc. will treat you
IN the manner of successful politician
after election day, and calculate If your
back will furnish fur enough to save his.
NOW, as to your work There are two
Kinds OF engineers. Those who follow
the business from pure love of its abb
sorbfng life and those who look upon
1t as a good paying employment OF the
two, give me the former They belong
to the class who leave heavily sanded
rails, brakes In emergency and reverse
levers cooked toward the tank before
1 looking to their Individual safety-men
who. with a laugh. climb unto SCRAP
piles-when 1 cannot furnish better
never present on sand house committees
or forming the nucleus of street-corner
conferences-taking all things as they
come in spirit of merry, hearty ac-
ceptance, remembering any mere
starter" or stopper can get sue
cessfui trip out OF the old mans pet, bat
that it takes master to do 1t with
hack-shop candidate. These are the men
that successfully take the lesson of cor
roded ip5ectors. leaking fues, loose
steampipes. doubIe-fanged tires and
broken packing, as the basis of q new
working equipment. John, your past
record has proved your entrance right
to be enrolled in this class, and I have
no fear of your future. Now go over 10
| the house. Tell the foreman to mark
you up"
| A few minutes later, after a hearty
| handclasp, John saw the foremans 8
greasy hand trace upon a great black
board below the legend Extra Engi-
neers-Gray, fifth out
| Many young men under similar condi-
tons would have sought the apprecla-
! tive company of friends, but John Gray
was of a different type.
The swift change from the deck to
the right side seemed to place him in
a strangely different mood.
He wanted to think 1t over. A brief
walk brought him to where a cool snow
| fed torrent dashed amid the rocks Of
a little canyon. The first thought was
| of the added help his increased earn
| ings would be TO the home folks but
| through 1t ran the shiver of the insist
ent, can do it?u-"can fiIl the bill ?'
i-"cowardiy well, if so, each and
every one Of the grave. burly fellows
to whom you daily intrust your life
under the white feather. All other men
great responsibility arrive at 1t by
steps of slow graduations-the fireman
drops the shovel of yesterday to take
the throttle OF today. Fools are ex-
| tremely rare in the ranks of the loco
motive aremen. None know better the
narrow margin lying between failure
or success. the sudden upspringing of
problems involving questions of life or
death, In whose solution eye, brain, and
hand must act-and sure-with flashing
speed. The haunting monster IT forgot. =
or Il did not know" ever waiting to
chuckle over reproa chful faces and
crushed breasts Then to step. with
| wide open eyes, UP to the seat where
sunny hair blanches prematurely white.
| where merry boyish faces are gridironed
into care traced lines and the bravest
heart at times misses beats. is far
| from thing Of merrymaking or clink-
ing glasses. The vigil of the young,
untried knight. praying amid cioistered
| shades over virgin sword and armor
has prototype in the boy OF today.