Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-26


several navy yards. along lines similar to
the recently formed organization Of postal
employees.
Referring to an incident at the reception
rendered to President Gompers and Sam
De Nedrey. legislative agent, by the Gen.
says:
Some friction was caused at labor
meeting recently held at the temple when
1t was discovered that the liquid refresh
mentS being served were OF a non-union
brand-at least SO says a daily paper. When
| fellow can stop in the midst Of his liba-
lions to look for the union brand on his
wet goods he must be all right and it Is
a good plan to insist on union products,
liquid or otherwise: but much friction las
well as other undesirable things) could be
avoided at such meetings by entirely elm
mating the beer. Booze is the wage earn
ers' enemy. Cut 1t out"
"The rule recently adopted by the Bur-
lington railroad reducing engineers who are
compelled to wear eyeglasses" says Luke
Grant In the Chicago Record-Herald. has
started an interesting discussion in railroad
circles. While the matter has not appealed
to the public quite as strongly as did the
rule promulgated by a number of the rail-
roads a few years ago that q man over
thirty-five years of age could not procure
employment. still many of the men affected
feel the situation keenly.
in speaking on the subject the other
night locomotive engineer. who himself
wears eyeglasses, said he did not believe
the arguments used against the practice by
officials Of the Burlington road were good
He said that under any circumstances an
engineer had to observe signals through
some kind Of glass. as no man running an
engine al high rate of speed would dare
to put his head out of the cab without
having some sort Of protection over his
eyes. He said he would be blinded by the
air If not by the smoke and dust.
DR. Nelson Miles Black Of Milwaukee,
who has made a life study of the subject
of ocular diseases. has written an inter-
esting treatise on the question of whether
locomotive engineers who wear glasses are
safe employees or not. DR.. Black rode more
than 5000 miles in engine cabs in all kinds
of weather, studying the effects of varying
atmospheric conditions on the vision of en-
gineers.
Not only does Dr. Black hold that en-
gineers who wear lenses to bring their
vision UP to normal are safe employees. but,
he says. they safer than those who do
not, for the reason that the protection at
forded the eyes by glasses is a distinct ad-
vantage.
"An interesting point In the discussion Is
that all agree that lenses used to strengthen
the vision in daylight are less effective in
the dark. man who wears glasses can
see better at night without them. DR.. Black
gives his own reasons for this phenomenon
and quotes large number Of authorities
who agree with him. His explanation re-
moves the objection which the railroads use
against the use Of glasses at night. DR..
Black says that as everything in the uni
verse is seen by reflected light. except self
luminous objects, my idea of the diminu-
ton Of vision observed by wearers of
glasses after dark is that the lenses re-
fleet much of the small amount of light
coming from these various objects after
nightfall as to make decidedly noticeable
diminution in the vision.
He quotes a number of authorities to
show, however, that self-luminous objects
such as street lamps or railroad signals,
stand out more sharply defined by the aid
Of glasses at night SO that the diminution
of vision after dark cannot be considered an
Objectionable factor against glasses.
"Of late years 1t Is we'll known that there
has been constant tendency to increase the
speed of important trains and to cut out
stops, that today We have. on the Bur-
trains which are commonly run at rates of
speed as high as fifty. sixty and more miles
per hour. and through many of the sta
tons without stopping or without any con-
siderable reduction of speed.
"A train running sixty miles an hour !
passes over more than eighty feet of dis
lance in one second; at seventy miles per
hour over more than 100 feet per second
and should it happen. as 1t doubtless might,
that an engineer in charge OF such train
at such q speed was required to re-
move his spectacles to wipe the steam or
mist from them. or should they become
broken, or fall off. and he be required to
take time to get another pair to put on, for
each second Of time he was 80 occupied
nts train would be running at high speed |
and it might pass signals Or distractions, |
which the failure On his part to notice |