The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-06-17

IauliltdTlZluS GIicmSClVOS Will tu0 AOou,
that Is, locate the gIades, stations and
learn the time required to make the
run from one station to another, posi-
tion and location OF side and passing !
tracks.
Now, as to the inexperienced man OBJ
tain ny promotion, it IS a huge mistake
ahd any truthful and rightmlnded man
who knows anything at all about rail-
roading will admit this fast, notWith- |
standing remarks to the cUntla airy which
have been made before this Circle.
The usual period is about four years
for brakeman and five for fireman,
but there is no fixed rule as there may
be large demand on account OF ln-
creased traffic or tie building of new
lines. There are men right here in the
Middle West who have btel bIaking
and firing for seven years or more, and
on the other hand there are some who
we're promoted at the earliest period
possible.
Some roads have what is known as
system right. That is, an employe may
demand any place, run or right of any
man who entered the service or Was
promoted at later date than himself.
But this is not the general rule on most
roads. Employees hold only division
rights and have no standing on another
division. For instance, there may be
men on one division who have been firing
six years on that one division and on
the next division there are men run
ming an engine who entered the service
two years later.
Let your unframed man try to take
an extra train in or out of ter
M =, al ,rcinn onIu cinrlo track WHARF
there are from five to thirty cardod
trains each day and perhaps as many
extras aud he will be readily convinced
can handle.
No, my friend, the railroad companies
are not placing thousands of dollars
worth of property and human lives in
i the hands of unskilled AMI untried
men. As the examination given each
/ conductor and engineer prior to pro-
4 motion is of such severe AMI thorough
nature as to exclude tx e mentally weak,
any one who has taken this examina-
tion knows that she has BEEN some
place." as the slang phrase goes. And
even those who successfully pass this
examination often fail to make good
when out on the road where there arise
difficulties and circumstances of an
entirely different nature each day, as no
two trips are alike.
The opinion of some is that the posi-
tion of brakeman is sinecure and as
practiced by some incompetent men it
is such, but on the other hand the duties
!, of brakeman who has the instinct and
training of railroad man are far from
easy. 1t does not consist of jumping
on and off the cars, giving signals and
"cussing" the engineer who is too fal
I away to hear. but the train must be
! watched at all times for hot journals
and defects In addition to this gooC
brakeman goes over his train at every
opportunity, looking for anything thai
3 NAV be wrong. Also he must famil
iarize himself regarding the time of al
trains and he ready to protect his owr
should the occasion require It..
That old and familiar excuse so Otter
\ given and accepted in other work will
n not be tolerated in railrOading-that is
: 81 forgot" 70 forget may mean mucl
J. or little, but to forget and be found ou
: means in most cases positive dismissal
e or at least be disciplined for from
twenty to sixty days without pay. Thi
will help one to remember next time
o A few of the things are: hauling car
u without proper way bill, setting car Ou
& short of destination, hauling car pas
q destination, burning off jonrnal, della
e to your own or another ualn and SO or
e. too numerous to me ,tlOii-and are a
IL ways cases for discipline when not re.
,r sOuably avoidable. As before state
J. repu able references are required an
"a not only a thes e Tel erences verified bU
O. they also inquire of some reputable pei
g son as to the standing of the party r,
Is ferred to by applicant.
t. This of course is not all accOmplishe
l. in one day. know of more than Or
os instance where men have been take
y out of service after period of three
ID five months have elapsed from the dat
of entering same because their recon
a. mendations have been found uusati
u factory.
to "The boomer" like the poor, is alwa.
@. with us, but unlike the poor his stay
al generally limited to short period. E
n works only long enough to acquire
Sc good front aud perhaps hundred dc
As lars or so, then his feet get itchy ar
ms away he goes. This class Of men a
'e- tolerated by the companies for tt
hd reason that they are handy to fill
es where there is rush of traffic, al
re they follow the rushes all over the cOu
It's tary. A stay Of three months is lol
RI period for seasoned boomer.
De Now the foregoing is absolutely trr
rs l am speaking from experience, as
ke Continued on this page, column 4.