Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-01-19

the form which asks that true an
swer must be inserted for the past
ave years service.
ne then goes TO division surgeon
w. A. wright or Assistant Surgeon
oteeiy VINO are the examining sur
geons for the Short Line. mere the
lecrult or 'roOAey, as he Is some
times called, is put through stiner
examination tnan the United states
army requires for its soldiers. lie is
given a strict eye and ear test and
ehere are many oevlces with which
the physical fitness of the man is
tried before he is passed In the cOc-
and switch lights, on which the re-
cruit must tell the color of the light.
There are several combination lights
run in which make the semaphore
appear a bright red, then yellow,
then green or maybe white, and each
one he must answer, and answer
quickly, for the doctor allows him no
time to study.
The examination passed in good
shape, he reports for work to the
trainmaster. who writes his name ON
small card and puts it in rack
along with the names of hundreds Of
others.
He is told that he will be put to
work the next day. Bright and early
he goes down to the freight yards the
next morning and presents a note Of
Introduction to the conductor on a
local freight, who says, in a gruff
tone, Huh, another student; well,
son. you better be ready to leave town
in 80 minutes, and don't miss the
train He then humbly asks where
the train is located, and is told in
very short answer, Track Z.
Track might be in China or
South Africa for all he knows, and
after much inquiry he locates the
track and train. Slowing his good
clothes in locker of the caboose, ne
dons his overalls and goes up ahead
trying to make himself useful He
introduces himself to the rest of the
train crew and is ordered by the head
brake to ride with him in the en-
CINE
when nearly to the next stop the
train slows down with a sudden grind
ing of brakes and the recruit looks
from one to another of the crew
trying to learn the cause of the sud
den stop. The head brakeman runs
back ALONGSIDE the train. the recruit
following, not knowing what he may
find, but he wants to be Johnny on
the spot in any event.
We'll we've got lung pulled
out, says the old-timer as he sur
veys drowbar lying on the ground.
Go back to the 'crummy' and git a
couple o. chains. and hurry up or No.
will be putting us in the clear in
a hurry He has learned that 'crum-
my is the caboose. and he carries
two chains to the seat of trouble and
watches the older hands as they
throw figure around the remain
ing drawbar and on to the trucks of
the injured car
Most of the signals he will learn
by observation and he is usually a
5 little help when there is car to
! kick into a siding or spur. He is
told by the conductor how to connect
E the air hose and is given explicit in
{ structions in order that the angle
p cock be turned the right way so that
, the air brake will not fail to work
} "He is allowed to see the running
, orders. or block card. which gives his
, train rights over all others as far
, as the next station. and gradually
} he gets next
} 'He is next given the job for few
} minutes as aagman and must take
} red flag and torpedoes back down
, the line from half a mile to a mile
) and stop all trains which comes hi.
; way.
"After two round trips, as rule