Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-09-22

7 able 10 attend nigh, school. There
are q lot OF ways In which an ambi-
tious youth can get this technical
J training
As a general thing the worker is
somewhere around twenty-five years
I old by the time he has got the neces-
sary schooling and all the advance
ment he can from being merely an in
Z strument man. and is ready TO 20 on.
/ We shall say that he has elected to
leave the construction corps and go
on with the maintenance department.
/ which takes care of-maintains-com-
[ pleted track. and has come in from
the wilderness and been made rod
man In the Office u one Of the division
engineers. All railroads have pretty
/ much the same lines Of advancement:
but we shall take the procedure fol
lowed by a railroad whose mainten-
ance department is world-famous.
Having been thoroughly tested by
/ the division engineer and found TO
merit advancement both because Of
his knowledge OF engineering and his
seeming ability TO handle men of the
section gang sort. your boy ultimately
I finds himself an assistant supervisor
OF one OF the roads branches. at a
salary Of about one hundred dollars
month The supervisor Is the direct
| controlling head OF track foremen and
labcrers and attends to the mainten-
ance Of all bridges. track and road
bed over stretch Of forty to fifty
miles.
This is the boys real try out in ex-
I ecutive work. and n he sizes up to his
new responsibilities. he will Be sent to
similar work on the main line This
tine. however. owing TO It's greater
Importance. be will have only twenty
i've to thirty miles to look after. but
his pay will be about a hundred and
twenty-five dollars a month. Then he
goes bach 10 the branch line. this
time as supervisor. az a hundred and
fifty dollars: and before long takes a
similar post on the main line. at a
further increase IN salary Of twenty
five dollars a month.
The next step taken is when your
boy becomes division engineer Of q
branch line. Then he goes as divi-
sion engineer on the main, line. his
work covering a hundred to one hun
dred and twenty-five miles OF road. al
two hundred and seventy-hve dollars
monthly.
Following this. he will be assistant
principal engineer at three hundred
and nifty dollars to four hundred dol.
lars a month. This Office is directly
under one OF the general superintend-
ents, who supervise the work OF the
engineers Of four to eigh; divisions.
OF course. your boy will before long
be made a general superintendent
himself. getting from four hundred TO
one thousand dollars a month. and
after he has worked up to the head
OF the most important place in this
branch Of the business. will be In d.
rect line for the post Of general man
ager- From there he goes straight
through to vice-president. and the goal
OF president at last. at a salary that
may rival that received By the presi-
dent Of the United States. or even
top IT,
But should the boy have gone n,
from rodman to instrument man in
the construction department, he would
next be made chief OF the surveying
party under the engineer at a monthly
salary of seventy-iye to one hundred
and twenty-five dollars. Then he
would be an engineer OF construction
working directly under the chief on.
gineer. at anywhere from one hum
dred to three hundred dollars a month
His work here might be in the field
or in constructing terminals or other
improvements in a city. and would be
direct stepping stone to the chief
engineers post. where, as assis,an,
TO the latter. he would receive from
three hundred to five hundred dollars
A month.
Then he would become chief epxf-
neer and afterward might be- made
president OF the system or be called
10 some OF the greatest engineering
enterprises in the world. such as law.
ing out entirely new systems of rail.
road in hitherto unexplored regions
experimenting the construction az
canals or gigantic reservoir systems
or directing vast projects OF any kind
that have anything to do with trans
portation- Every s-ader Will recau
that II was only four years ago tina,
John +. Stevens, chief engineer Of the
Great Northern railway. was made
chief engineer OF the Panama canal
about the highest engineering posit,on
In the world And yet SIR. stevens :.
now only ffty-six years old and he
was onee rodman with an obscure
surveying crew. He became chief on.
gtnesr OF the Sabine Pass & Nortb-
western railway when he was onIv
twenty-three, showing what a Young
man OF grit and energy can do.
Railroad positions. by their very 70.
quirements and responsibilities mpst
go to those who have proved tba,r
ability to NIL them Pull NAV get ona
a place at times; but 1t will rest unon
his merit TO keep IL; for thera q -
mucn al stake TO run risks from in.
competent employees. And the Do
Veiopment OF the country is so rsn,a
nowadays that there is always =
shortage OF men able TO take the high-
est position II Is fact thar thera 4.
probably more room at the ton e.
tne ambitious young man in railroad
ing than in any other line Of activ,,v
II Is up to the sole efforts of the youth
~
making his start as stake-carrier or
station porter or section hand 10 70,
there.
Copyright. 1910. by the Assoc,.,., ~.
erary PressD