Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

of Locomotive Engineers. ] was accom-
panied by Mr.. James 4. Craig. the senior
travelling engineer or the commission.
and the man who ran the locomotive
was Peg Corners one OF the old stand
bys here and well known in the States.
Peg" told me that his engine weighed
234H0 pounds and that II was carrying
ao pounds of steam pressure.
The only fuel was crude oil. Just back
Of the engine was oil tank OF 2.30o
gallons. and this held sufficient for a run
of 500 miles. The oil was let into the
engine through pipes. and the fireman
could increase or lower the temperature
by turning valve.
l looked into the furnace A mighty
fame filled the fire box and I was told
that the heat within was 22m degrees
above zero IL made me feel as IL there
was only a sheet of brown paper be-
tween me and Hades. | then looked out
of the window at the Smokestack. There
was practically nothing ris ng into the
air. but A moment later, when the fire.
man threw a shovel-full of sand into
the furnace, a great black cloud burst
forth. and the SCOT flew out by the
bushel II is in this way that the smoke
pipe is cleaned, the tremendous draft
caused by the fame carrying the sand
through and cutting the SCOT.
As | rode | could see the economy OF
using the oil. When we went down
grade the oil was shut off and gravity
did the work. The flow was also re-
duced at the stations. and fuel was only
needed when the engine required it, Sucn
an engine costs about S26.oOa. IL has
what is known as the f. T. track equip
ment. The one on which j rode was
built like a watch. and IL ran ~
smoothly.
Mr.. Smith. the general superintendent
of the Panama railway. tells me that
Uncle Sam has down here at Panama
he nf
conductors of the United States. We pay
the highest sa'aries that are paid to rail-
road men anywhere in the world, and
our men have the best treatment. We
now have altogether ALB locomotive en-
gineers on the isthmus. and 150 of these
are receiving more than $500 a year.
We have other engineers, who are not
qualified to run on the main line of tho
month.
The wages of our conductors range
from $3.50 to S215 per month. and both
engineers and conductors. like all the
gold employees of the isthmus. have forty
three days vacation with pay. They have
also a sick leave for thirty days. making
a total of seventy-two days in the year
that a man may be out of his work and
still receive pay.
As result of these advantages. making
the pay forty or fifty per cent more
than that in the states. the railroad COM
pany has no trouble in getting the best
men. 1t has a long waiting list. and
every railroad man who has come here
and gone away wants to get back. At
first such appointments were largely
political, but the misfits have been dis
charged and weeded out, until the serv-
ice Is now the most efficient to be found
anywhere.
i am told that many of these railroad
men are saving money. They can lay
away more out of their salaries than
they could earn in the states, and owing
to the low prices of the comm issary, they
can live more cheaply here than at home
The most of such men are fine-lookng
physically and l am told they are
morally clean.
FRANK G.. CARPEN Err