New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-18
Yet Not All the ExaCting Work
Is in the Cab, Arbitration
Commission Hears.
ONE RUN HAS $50 SIGNALS
Railroads Counsel Declares In
creasing Expenses Make 1t
Difficult to Keep Pace
with Traffic.

terday by engineers who run some OF
Americas fastest trains at the hearing
before the arbitration commission which
is to decide whether the demand Of the
locomotive engineers for higher pay and
a Standardization of wages is just.
The expectation that these men would
be called attracted a larger audience to
the Oriental Hotel. Manhattan Beach.
than had been present at previous hear
ings. Railroad officials as well as mem
bers OF the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, appeared in larger numbers
and the room was crowded TO full ca
pacity
The first engineer called as witness
was Dean r Wood. forty-three years
old. who takes the New York Centrafs
eighteen-hour limited from Syracuse to
Albany, q distance Of Jas miles, In 162
minutes. OF this time, he said, he had
eight minutes TO take the train out of
Syracuse, a distance of one mile; four
minutes were allowed for making up
time, so that actually there remained
only 142 minutes TO cover the remaining
.747 miles. In that distance there were
mime places where ne had TO slow down.
tMr. Wood added, and he had TO scoop
water four times during the trip. each
! time reducing the speed to forty-flve
miles an hour. so that he had 10 speed
,up 10 seventy and seventy-hve miles an
hour whenever he could in order 10 reach
Albany on time.
During this night run, from 3:45 In the
morning until 6:27. Mr.. Wood testified, he
had TO watch for Isl block signals distnb-
'uted over the distance of 17 miles. Be
sides this, he had to pay attention TO his
engine and to perform other tasks that
contributed to a safe and successful trip.
Much Work Outside Of Cab.
He had been an engineer for twenty
four wears. the witness said. and lis
present run was assigned 10 him by the
company, and had not been his choice.
! His work began at 12:l5 in the morning.
: when he was called over the telephone, he
said. Reaching the station at llS, he
would examine the bulletin board for
orders, then find his engine in the engine
house and examine II TO see whether the
necessary repair work had been done and
the angine was in condition to make the
trip.
Then at 5:45 he pulled out the train for
Albany. and arriving there at 6:H, the
train would be taken by another engineer.
He then had to take his engine 10 the
Albany engine house and look her over
again to indicate whether repairs were
necessary. This usually consumed nearly
an hour, he said.
He made the return trip 10 Syracuse the
same day, Mr. Wood testified, leaving AL
bany at GAG in the evening and arriving
In Syracuse at 9:S3 After an inspection
Of his engine his double trip was over and
the next twenty-four hours were his. he
added.
Asked by Grand Chief Warren S. Stone
what he most feared during the trip, Mr..
Wood said that 1t was the "buckling' Of
freight trains on the double track. With
the four-track arrangement the fast trains
frequently pass slow trains moving in the
same direction on the neighboring track,
It was explained, and break to any part
OF the slow train might cause Il TO
: buckle" into the express track. and a
calamity was hardly TO be avoided.
The compensation for a round trip was
sB u, Mr.. Wood said. and he made fifteen
such trips each month making his month
'ly income $1S75.
G. B. Gallagher, hfty-one years old, and
an engineer for the Boston & Maine for
thirty years, repeated the story OF an
engineers duties. His run was from High
River Junction, VT. TO Springfield. Mass.
land In the distance of l23 miles he had TO
watch 20 signals, besides being confront
FED with the necessity of remembering two
sets of rules. Part OF his trip was on the
Boston e. Maine, he explained, while the
rest was on the Vermont Central, and
there were many differences in the rules
made on both roads for the operation OF
trains. His pay was s123 month.
Has to Watch $50 Signals.
The man who had the longest trip
among the witnesses called was NJ. X.
Parker. OF the Pennsylvania Railroad
His run, he said. was from Jersey City
20 Washington, 222 miles, which he COW
cred in hours and 20 minutes. going
south, and IN 4 hours and Al minutes re-
turning. His preparatory work consisted
In having TO examine five bulletins con-
tanning instructions, as he ran through
the territory of FIVE different superIn-
} toned by the preceding witnesses.
He had TO watch for $50 signals each
way, and between Jersey City and VIII
rnington he flashed by signal at inter
walls of from five seconds TO one minute
He received SIS 81 for a round trip, and, as
he made ten trips a month, his monthly
income was about slS5, he said
Charles e, Moore, an engineer on the
New York, New Haven & Hartford, and
j. Hughes, employed by the Baltimore e.
Ohio were the other engineers called TO
support the case Of the employees. MIR.
Moore said he earned 1886 a month. ana
Mr. Hughes gave his wages at 1896 a
month. The latter said that he would
much prefer TO have the Old type engine
10 the powerful new one with superheat-
ed steam. as the old engine did not re-
quire as much attention as the new one.
b. 4. Worthington, president OF the
Chicago & Alton and counsel for the
fifty-two railroads involved in the con-
troversy. finished the presentation OF the
railroads side of the case during the
morning session. He declared again that
the pay OF engineers was ample, and de-
MED any justification TO the demands
made by the men He pointed TO the
large expenditures which faced the rail-
roads and warned against an increase I'm
the wages of railroad employees because