The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-12-07
TEST STEAM VALVES
MOST PERILoUS OF ALL RAIL
ROAD OCCUPATIONS.
Riding on the Extreme Front of the
Locomotive, These Men Have No
Chance for Escape in Case
of Accident.

riding upon the IfOnt Oh aH engine
going 60 miles an hour, protected from
the rush of the wind by the f1imsiest
of wind shields, where the slightest
mishap or obstacle thrown up by the
cowcatcher would mean instant death,
the young men who are engaged in
the work of testing the steam valves
on locomotive cylinders may truth
fully be said to have the most peril
Gus occupation in the world.
Those of you who have ridden
about the roller coasters and the loop
the loops at the summer resorts have
sonse conception Of the speed made
by one of the up-to-date overland lin
tied trains 1t takes away the breath
of one who is unaccustomed to it on
his first experience. But conceive
yourself On the front of an engine
where this rate of speed is kept up
mile after mile and you will have
some idea of the daily experience of
a Locomotive valve tester.
If there is a wreck and their engine
collides with another, or perchance
goes plunging through an embank-
ment or through bridge into a river,
the young men on the front end would
be caught like rats in a trap. There
would be no escape. There would not
be one chance in 1000 of their escap-
ing alive.
The crew engaged in this test num-
bers three. These are in addition to
the regular crew of engineer and fire
man. The latter have nothing to do
with the test, and look after their
regular duties, regardless of and per-
haps Indifferent to the presence of the
testers. In fact, if the truth is told,
the enginemen would rather the test
ers would select some other engine.
The space within the cab is naturally
limited, and third person, in the en-
gineer Of the test, who has charge of
the collection of records and who
keeps his position in the cab, is not
welcomed. Then, again, the engineers
are averse to the presence of the
young men on the front end, with the
constant danger of their being killed.
Nearly every big railroad employs
these valve testers, but. like many
other vocations connected with rail-
road, they are not known to the gen
eral public. If you ever happen to no
tice big engine flying along at a
lightning speed, with a big box Gov
ering the front just above the cow
catcher, you may know that the box
covers two young men who are at
tempting to discover whether the
valves are. working right and TO To-
cate the fault if they are not.
When the engine runs into an open
| switch or collides with box car OF
| some obstacle on the track. the fire.
man and engineer, although their jobs
are regarded as the most perilous OF
any of the members of the train crew
! have at least a fighting chance for
| their lives. They can usually tell a
! moment or two before anything hap
| pens, which would give them time tC
| jump If they were SO disposed. Not
SO the valve testers on the front OF
| the engine. If anything should hap
/ pen to them they would never live to
| know what it was. Having no oppor
| tunity to jump or save themselves
they would be the first to meet death
| But, although this work has been go
| ing on for several years on most OF
the big roads, so far as is known, nc
accident of any Importance has ever
happened to the young men who daily
take their lives in their hands.