New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-20
STEAM MORE POPULAR
THAN ELECTRICITY
Engineers Tell Arbitration
Board Old Style Is Bet
ter for Men.
LABOR OF SIGNAL READING
Warren 8. Stone, Chief of the
Brotherhood of Engineers,
Declines q Job on the
Chicago & Alton.

When II comes to a choice between cleo
trio and steam traction the engineer and
the passenger part company IA steam
locomotive every day I'm the week" ex-
presses the emphatic preference OF the
men familiar with the operation Of both
types who testified yesterday before the
arbitration commission which is now
broodlng over the question at issue be-
tween flfty-two Eastern railroads and
the Brotherhood OF Locomotive Engineers.
For the first time yesterday, whether be-
cause OF the electricity in the testimony
or because OF the lack of humidity In the
atmosphere. the session at Manhattan
Beach was enlivened with good naturei
banter and some naive admissions.
In all. four electric engineers described
their duties. one on the Harlem Division
OF the New York Central. one on the
New Haven road running out OF the
Grand Central, another on the West Jer-
sey and Seashore Division OF the Penn
sylvania and still another on the Pennsyl-
vania running between the new station at
33d street and the Manhattan transfer.
Every one had been steam locomotive
engineer and every one has an applics-
ton pending for retransfer 10 his old
love. Electric operation Involves more
danger. they said, with the same pay and
the Same amount of physical work, but
with more personal responsibility, cspe-
cially In the case OF multiple unit trains
and with less opportunity for advance
ment
Henry c. Case. who operates electric
trains for the New York Central between
the Grand Central and North White
Plains. occupied the witness chair durin6
the greater part OF the morning session
He used 10 operate steam trains over the
same run, and would like TO go back TO
steam, except for operation through the
tunnel. His testimony on this point was
eloquent Of the peril TO human freight
under the old regime.
ION account OF the vast number ci
trains which ran through this Park ave
nue. tunnel with steam eXhausting from
the locomotives" he SAID. the tunnel
was kept full Of both steam and smoke
pretty nearly all the time. An exception
WOIlu DC z uey I4hc NhiSs "ANA' "a
breeze blowing. Then II would not be 50
heavy. But most of the days, and espe-
cially during the rush hours morning and
evening. the tunnel was filled with smoke
steam and gas. the gas coming mostl!
from the hard coal engines on the local
trains.
THE consequence was that IL was very
difficult for an engineer TO pick out the
signals. and In a good many cases we got
lost in there and stopped as soon as we
discovered that we were lost, and got
down with a torch and felt along the
rail until we came 10 the signal 10 make
sure we had It. | have doEe that num-
dreds OF times, both as fireman and as
an engineer. As al engineer. when
had a green fremsn l would not trust him
10 90 down and report the signal; I would
do il myself.
That has all been done away with now
Al that time when We we're running
steam there were four signals throusf
tho tunnel on each track. Now, ~hen We
can see them. there are eleven