The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-11-29
TRAINMEN MUST
NOT WASH HANDS
EMPLOYEES OF HARTMAN LINES
ORDERED TO ENTER TERM.
NAILS WITH DIRT
STILL ON,

Omaha, Neb., Nov. 29-Cleanlines
IS not next to goodness on the bi.
Hartman railroad system. where or
GERS nave just been issued that tn,
tralnman who comes into a tern1ina
with clean hands or face will be sum.
marily discharged. In the future al
| tfalnmen are expected to have dirty
hands. grimy faces. dusty clothing anc
shoes that do not shine. The order
which is official. applies to about So.
! 00Oemployes and embraces all the
roads between the Missouri river and
Puget Sound AID New Orleans to
the Pacific ocean.
The dirty order, as it Is called by
| the employees OF the road, Is altogether
IN the interest OF safety and is only
one Of the rules by which the Harri-
man railroads are waging a relentless
war against accidents to passengers
and to employees. Unofficially the or
der reads:
| He who wishes to hold his job ns
engineer, fireman conductor, flagmau
| or brakeman must come into terminals
with unwashed hands and dirty face
Hartman Lines Kill Few,
The Hartman roads. of all lines in
the west, have fewe" bad wrecks than
any Of their competitors. according to
the Interstate Commerce comciision
| statistics, and by making the employees
| Ia the train service come into ter
lt.!r ais with unkenlIt ctuthing and I'M.
washed hands end faces the officials
expect to have even fewer accidents in
the future than in the past Assistant
General PASSENGER Agent Ware OF the
Union Pacific is credited with having
originated the dirty" order, and has
disseminated tha it,ea AMONG :he
other roads OF the system.
| According to Mr.. Ware, close in
vestigaton resulted In the discovery
| that the biggest wrecks on his road
happened at terminal points. And in
many cases the engineer or fireman.
| instead OF being in the cab Watching
diligently for some signal or obstruc-
ton on the tracks. has been down In
the gangway, or some other conven-
lent point, adjusting a neclxtie, remov-
ing overalls. washing his face and
hands, and making himself otherwise
presentable In order that he would not
nave to spend time doing so after ne
had surrendered his locomotive at the
end Of the run. In some cases It was
found that both the engineer and fire.
man We're down in the gangway, leav-
ing the locomotive to run itself.
Engine Needs Attention.
These actions on the part of the
trainmen always take place at the end
or the run and usually as the train
is entering a city. AS such times.
when streets are being crossed every
minute. and when switch tracks are
very frequent. the locomotive most
needs it's driver.
To guard against this lack OF watch
fulness Mr. Ware has ordered that
trainmen shall not leave their posts
until the run is ended, and prima
facie evidence that his order has been
disobeyed will be the fact that the
trainman has clean hands and face,
or has dressed up In any manner
whatever,
The Hartman roads have all enter
ed into campaign for the protection
of employees and passengers and the
chiefs of the operating departments of
the different lines in the system are in
rivalry to see which can produce the
cleanest sheet as to people or property
injured. And. while the dirty order
originated with the Union Pacific, it
WIZ be extended to all Hartman rail-
roads and will effect about $4,000 en-
ployes.