The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-10-05
PICKING THE MOTORMEN.
SEVERE TESTS APPLICANTS FOR
 POSITIONS MUST TAKE.

Complete Familiarity With Car Me-
 chanism EssentiaI-RecOrds of the
 Men for Five Years Inyestigated-
 How the Surgeons Weed Out the Un- ht-The School.
 It is surprising how many men would | like to be on front of the electric car in Denver, but what is still more sur prising is the very small per cent of the hundreds of applicants who stand the l tests employed in the making of mo- 1 torman, says the Denver Republican. Of every fifteen applicants only about 1 15 per cent of the aspirants fail to pass the physical examination, while about | 5 per cent of those who get thus far
 never become o. K. and receive posi- 1 tions.
 | The school of the motorman is a i hard one. The tests are severe and the 1 all-prevailing rule is that of the sur l Vival of the Attest. The candidate for | the front end realizes that he is in the i sitter from the moment that he makes
 application to the superintendent, S. l w. Cantril, who employs and dis 1 charges all trainmen. He immediately 1 learns that all motormen in the serv- 1 ice of the Denver Traction Company must not be less than feet 1-2 in- l ches tall, sound in eyesight and hear
 ing and free from all physical defects.
 They must be of good moral character, j, temperate and between 21 and 35 years
 of age on entering the service.
 1 All possible information is obtained
 from the applicant by means of blanks, ] which he fills out, answering questions l going closely into his personal history. Il His first blank shows his name, age, height, weight, place of birth, whether | his parents are alive and if so, where | living. It also shows all persons de- pendent upon him for support; wheth- | CT, if married, he is living with his
 wife, number of children, if any, and
 their ages. He also gives his previous profession or trade, tells whether he
 uses intoxicating liquors and to what
 extent, or indulges in games of chance.
 He tells where he was last employed
 Next the applicant states whether he J and the cause of his leaving.
 Next the applicant states whether he
 is in debt and to what amount. If he
 was ever employed on a steam or street
 railway, he tells in what capacity and
 gives the reasons for his leaving. His
 acquaintance with employees of the
 Denver company is detailed, and he
 tells whether he has any relatives in
 the service. This blank concludes witt l Ise,A .F4 fSr, F..
 last five yc. s and the names of any
 references N,-.om he desires to be con-
 suited.
 If satisfactory returns are received
 on private blanks sent to these people Supt. Cantril has personal talk witl
 the applicant regarding the duties O
 the position sought, the necessity for
 certain rules and their observance. Il
 the candidate makes a favorable i'm pression he is given a blank for his , medical examination and sent to tn , company surgeon. There he meets witt
 a more severe. examination than il given by most of the life insurance , companies, especially regarding hi : sight and hearing. It is at this stag
 that many fall by the wayside. l Having been o. K.'d by the surgeon ]; the superintendent starts the applican
 on his way to the shops with a blanl , requesting that he be given full instruc tions in this department, He has en l tered the school of the motornan an r has his first view of the ''instructio ] car" After mastering the mysteries o 7 the motors, brakes etc., he enters tn } shops where repairs are being made
 and there he works daily until h 6 learns all parts of a car. When ia f miliar with the construction of con I trollers, motors and all car equipmen il his foreman recommends him to Supt r. Cantril for further instructions, an f the latter assigns him to one of th S divisions. On reporting to the da e foreman he is instructed regarding th s movement of cars and the duties (
 motorlnen, then he is turned over t
 the division superintendent, who place
 him in charge of an experience
 teacher.
 Then come exciting times for the ne
 man. For a few days he rides on tf Ie front of the car merely to become al sr customed to conditions. He learns n l. to lose his nerve under trying circun V' stances, and becomes accustomed 1' judging distances, unconsciously al le sorbing knowledge and gaining self col u f1dence from his environment. The ID comes the day when he is permitted 'e handle the controller and brake. U 'a der the tuteIage of the old motorms
 he works for from five to eight or tt le days according to his aptitude to ma IL ter the machine in his care.
 'N Next the embryo goes to the mig |. foreman of his division car hous a where he learns to make all small r A pairs, such as might be required th the road, and he is taught his duti s in taking out or bringing in 8 e ,5 While at this work he must rememb ~, all that his old friend on the front el to taught him about ringing the gon ,,4 full stops, speed, slow two miles a