The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-09-23

r. detective, leader of the
y. biggest band, or president
Of a railroad, it is doubtful what the
answer would be. Probably, after long
consideration. he wod1d say all four.
Anyhow, he would have only one
chance in some forty million every
four years Of being the nations presi-
dent, and to be the detective or the
band leader would depend somewhat
upon natural talents, which. he might
or might not possess.
Therefore, he would do we'll, prob
ably, to select the railroad presidency;
for that position, requires tnb special;
genius, and it is simply a matter of
getting a starting job, which. is not
particularly difficult, working hard,
and attending strictly to business,
and the chances are not at all obscure
that he will reach the coveted goal
sooner or later.
If your boy has his mind set on
striving for railroad presidency, and
you believe he is wise In doing so,
there is no end Of places to begin, for
there are numberless tried savenues
leading to the presidency-such as
first getting Job as a section hand,
or as clerk in a railroad Office. or as
roustabout and assistant in small
station. Today the railroad presi-
dents who began in these and similar
low1y positions are by no means
scarce-in fact, they are in the ma
jority.
But your boy wants to get out into
the wilderness. SO to speak, and learn
railroading literally from the ground
up-that is, he wants to become
civil engineer and build railroads be-
fore he bosses one? Fine! For by
far the largest number of railroad
presidents who have worked their
way up from the crowd began on the
building side, the engineering side, of
railroading- the life literally
from the ground up. Without excep-
ton, every president that one of the
country's most famous railroads has
had began in humble position on the
construction side; and it is almost a
railroad world axiom that successful
railroad president must know thor
oughly how railroad Is built and how
its physical condition is kept up to
standard. The reason is obvious.
Well, then, your BOY desires to
make his start for a railroad presi-
dency in this manner-what must he
know? Without doubt he ought to
have good high school education be-
fore applying for job; for he will
not get very far before there will be
figuring and other things to do that
an ignoramus couldn't hope to sur
mount, and he could not get much be-
yond the bottom otherwise. (Of
course, boy with determination can
do anything he sets out to do..a and he
might self-teach himself at nights and
other times; but that is not the kind
q: hustler now under consideration
Probably the initial work given your
sixteen or eighteen-year-old boy will
not appear as If 1t would lead to any
where at all; for likely 1t will be moth
ing more than carrying stakes for sur
veying corps In the field, going back
to camp on errands, and doing things
generally that are little more than
chores. But all this time he will be
getting familiar with the methods Of
blazing trails through the wilderness
that are ultimately to be the line Of
completed railroad. They are far from
civilization and have to supply their
own food and clothing, and many a
night, sleeping beneath the stars after
long, hard tramp, the boy will think
Of his home comforts and long for an
easier lot. But he sticks to it, as any
boy must that expects to get on; and
he should rest assured that the boss
Of the outfit is watching him and will
promote him the minute he shows
that he Is prepared to 60 on.
Before long he will be an axman,
then a chairman, when his pay will be
anywhere from thirty-f1ve to fifty dol
lars a month. In the beginning, he
will not get much. If anything; for
there are other boys that have mapped
out railroad careers for themselves,
and many Of them are willing to work
for almost next to nothing till they
get above the stake-carrying stage.
The drst distinct promotion that
amounts to ANYTHING will be from Ak
man or chairman to rodman, the man
that manipulates TIE long pole with
rows Of figures ON It that everybody
secs with surveying parties He gets
from forty to sixty dollars a month,
which is not at Ill bad, considering
that food and clothing requirements
are not expensive. and that the pro-
motion to this post is Z sure sign that
your boy is getting ON.
Then. X tho boy has been observing
what the OTHERS DO. and ashnf Ques-
| lions. and getting posted, he win be-
come instrument man after awhile.
and run the level az transit, and win
receive anywhere from sixty to ninety
dollars q month. 81. -
But right here. q before, 1t will be
necessary for tho boy to get some
more schooling. Il he expects to ret
much higher In his work: from In
otrumsnt man on win come up tech.
! meal requirements that make it Il.