The labor world., 1906-09-01
Abiram T. Holmes, Engineer
on Pennsylvania Limited,
Tells of His Record.
Never Had an Accident in His
Thirty Years Experience
in an Engine Cab.


nanded by his superiors.
He has pulled the Limited out OF
Chicago from the first day the train
was started, sixteen months ago, and
has never left the station a second
late. He has run his engine 102 miles
an hour and would like to have kept
up the clip for the whole distance
from Chicago to New York.
Holmes is fine type of the Amer.
lean mechanic, with not an ounce OF
superfluous flesh, with pleasant half
smile constantly on his race and keen
gray eyes that look straight ahead
without flinching. He loves his engine
and speaks to it as though it were"a
sentient thing that understood and
felt his affection for it. 80:
Enaine Is<a Giant: :. ~
No. 7166 is giant of the Atlantic
type, with a long clean barrel; a; mite
of smokestack and six beautiful
drivers. It has no decorations and Is
as tense-look1ng and strong as o1ts
driver. =; - =" 2 ~
!. "You are are going to meet the greatest
locomotive engineer in the world,
said the conductor Of the train as he
went through the gate into: the yards
where the train stood waiting" orders
to start on it's great run. he; is
known to all railroad men as the most
s]sillful man. at the throttle, the most
careful Of his. engine and the best
posted man on the length of road he
covers. I feel as safe with Holmes as
Il would In my arm chair at home.
+ When Mr.. Holmes was Informed
that his fame had reached farther than
tho world Of failroading, and
that the newspapers desired TO
have his experience for print,
he shuffled his feet a bit aWkwa1aly
! for an instant. Then the smile that
/ fingered about, the corners or ms
mouth deepened the least bit. He &C.
cededs quietly to request for ms
photograph just as, he was, IN: MS
"driying' suit. Then in. the few mo
ments left before. the train was due to
start, he dictated the following char-
acteristic bit Of biography; Inter-
spersed with the wisdom OF: ,xpE}' expert
e"' 's:. sy> Abir.qq, ,q i: +: A4o}pat... ~:
TO make a record run and come, In
ION time, with your mag machine. ins; ;soou
border; your head clear and your, e eon.
science easy, you've got to have good
! Judgment to start with and Keep "
we'll wiped and polished all the time:
+ That's the only motto I've had In, my
life. 1 started out at nineteen as
| brakeman on this road. But !. started
| out to.;be an engineer1s<l, +, didn't have
! my eye ON the conductors berth, not
| vet on the superintendent's l was
headed for the engine from the first.
That's why I'm here today ,u:7
I If was to advise q young man
starting out in life I'd say: Get a
clear sight on the station you want to
reach and make for 1t. If you cant
get started on the road you have
picked out, take some other heading
that way, and don't get switched off
your original purpose, no matter what
offers. '.> -
| twisted brake wheels for three
years before l got chance to climb
into a tender. Of a freight and shovel
coal. But never thought of anything
else, because that was the way to, the
seat on the right side of the engine,
and that was where I was bound for.
I fired three years before I got an
engine, a local freight. Then pulled
all accommodation train. After a
while I got hooked on a passenger
train and then the limited was put on
and l got this engine and run as
good as there is in the world.
"Do Ali He's Asked"
I think a man ought to do all he's
asked to do and little more, If he
expects to get the best engine and the
quickest run in the end. l have never
asked to be let off from work, have
never been sick day in my life, have
never lost an hours time since I
started to work at nineteen years of
age, fresh from the farm.
l have roughed it some, as all rail-
read men have to do, but have found
my employers willing to do as near
right as I did. We've got along first
engine that could run as fast as I
would like to ride. I have never felt
CULVER of fear night or day. I never
had an accident. That is partly due
to taking advantage Of everything, and
partly good luck.
| don't know Of anything SO import
ant to an engine as good judgment.
believe In luck Of course, but I don t
carry rabbit foot, nor nail up a
horseshoe.
I'm not superstitious. I know there
are good days and bad days, though
But the bad days require more judg
ment You've got to do more think.
ing on the bad days than on the good
days. That evens things up.
Now we arc going to start IN q
minute and we average sixty-five
miles an hour beyond the city limits
But believe we would be just as safe
at hundred provided everything was
right at the start and l kept the little
man up here active Che tapped the tor
Of his head with his finger) The lit
tie pilot who sits up there knows. II
he says slow up, obey. He knows
No Politics in Job.
There is no politics in the engineer
Ing business. A man has got to gel
up by himself. We don't know what g
pull is. All | know is that me com
pany wants the best service and that
Il good man gets what Is coming tc
him in time. 1t may not seem to be
coming fast enough. but generally the
fault is in the man and not the com