Omaha daily bee., 1921-05-22
Railroad Poy in Old Days
Conditions of Forty Years Ago
Afford Striking Contrast No,c

iShed the dream OIL becoming locomotive eHBi-
neer One of the brightest days of my life was
blazing hot one in the late summer of 1873,
when | reported to Dunstan Gibson, foreman OF
the c., B. & O. roundhouse at Burlington, with
note from Joel West, master mechanic, tell
ing him to put me to work as fireman. / had
successfully answered a long list OF questions
Mr.. West had propounded to me, and there was
then no physical examination or test to undergo.
This was supplied by Mr.. Gibson, who inquired
if ever had fired" an engine, and on being
told that 1 had not, assured me that would
last about one trip For the next two and hall
years kept the front end Of the tank polished"
learned to ''play tune with the scoop shovel =
and picked up quite few tricks that have served
well at different times in the years that since
have passed. Some of this experience was
brought back to memory during the week by the
reports from Washington OF hearings before the
senate committee on points in connection with
railroad wages.
In those dear old days hrst-year fireman
was paid 2 cents per mile; for the second year 1t
was 2A cents per mile and for the third year
3 " cents. Just why the distinction never was
quite clear, for the hrst-year fireman certainly
had. to shovel as much coal, and do as many other
stunts as did the older and more experienced, and
usually with more of real labor, for he did not
at once grasp all the details and so was not
qualified to secure the comfort i'll which the
capable uxuriated. This comfort was dependent
on KNOW now almost exclusively, DOTH Ol dH
intimate knowledge of the peculiarities of the en-
gine, the contour of the country, or the track,
as it was generally expressed, and above all the
idosyncracies of the engineer. Each OF the
engineers had some way of his own, natural or
acquired, by which he was known, and on the
practice or exempliilcation of which was
tanned his standing among the roadhouse sages.
When his fireman became sufficiently versed in
the ways of his immediate superior, and could
tell by symptoms when the engineer was going
to indulge in his flight of fancy, achieve his
stunt, or otherwise exhibit his individuality, the
fire would accordingly be prepared and other
necessary details attended to, and the result
therefore fell with less of hardship on him than
if he were taken unawares. OF these trif1es was
composed the comfort the fireman used to
boast.
An incident of personal experience may serve
to illustrate some of the conditions endured as
to work and wages in those days. When freight
was moving freely, the enginemen found them
selves pretty steadily employed. Two days in
one" was the rule in busy times, which meant a
trip to Ottunlwa and back again to Burlington,
$50 miles i'll all. Day for day meant trip up
and back and 1ay-over, but in dull times two
days week were considered good fortune. Mid
winter of 1879 found business very slack, and
even the two days week looked big. This to
hrst-year fireman meant the opportunity to
earn s. by making one 150-ne trip. Our engine
days, when called for run to Ottumwa. The
engineer, Lem Barker, decided not to go out
and young runner named. Ed Hawksworth
nephew of "Old Dave" Hawksworth, who was
master mechanic SO long at Plattsmouth, was as
signed to the engine. The caller rounded us up
early, and we were backed down into the yard
at in the afternoon to be ready for train that
was to start west at o'clock. Just about f
o'clock word came from Fort Madison that Ben
Drake had the Isl off the rails in the yards down
there. We had the 287 all steamed UP and ready
to start, and were hurriedly sent to the turn
table, and then headed south with way car and
crew. 1t was 1o miles down the river, and only
little time elapsed before reached the scene.
The front truck of the engine was off Stub
rail" but it had not slowed any and no damage
was done, so the job of getting the wheels back
on the track was the work of but a few mo-
ments. Here is where the story starts.
James ("PollyD Workings was trainnaster
at Burlington then, and had been to Keokuk on
some business. He was riding home on the
train Ben Drake was pulling and was anxious
to get back to Burlington for his supper. So
he had the dispatcher issue an order for Drake
and his conductor to turn their train over to
HawksWorth and his conductor, and run wild
to Burlington as fast as they thought safe. This
would get the trannlaster home almost on time
tor supper. (Most railroad men ate dinner at
noon in those days) Accordingly the transfer
was made and to outfit fell the job of COM
pleting the switching that Drake had started on,
which occupied about three hours time Then
we were permitted TO couple head-on into that
freight train and back the engine up to Burling-
ton, ~ miles upgrade and II of that as stiff
pull as the ordinary engineer felt like tackling
A stiff gale was blowing down stream, the mer-
curry being around zero somwhere, so the Com
fort of that trip will be apparent to any who
has faced such wind in an open automobile
we reached Burlington about midnight; | had
mt tho too 4,s,Jr IS II III 4.
chance Tor trip on the main line, had spent
about seven hours on the engine, and had piled
UP 50 miles, for which on the next payday re-
ceived 7o cents. Those were the days, all right
The next summer l had another pleasant
proof OF the thoughtfulncss of the mana cement
Having been transferred from the 287 to the
z3o, billy, Parr, engineer, | was getting right
along, tor the 257 was an extra passenger engine
and we frequently pulled the fast trains For
tour weeks we were in the service between
burlington and Quincy and Burlington and
per day, and on the other 168 This looked like
good going to me, and l figured up the nice fat
pay check that would be mine as the result of
that good fortune Guess how I felt when
was handed a check for $50, and on making the
to me Justifable complaint, was informed that
steady branch run, and therefore was en-
Titled to draw $l.5O per day for each of the
tWenty-four days I had been so EMPLOYED. Some
recollection fingers of the times was routed
out OF my bed q was foolish enough to live
close to the roundhouse) to fire pusher-engine
up burlington hill, generally taking two hours
or longer OF time, and getting six miles pay,
or II cents for the job. Indeed, those were the
happy days.
Just try to picture engineers and hremen
putting up with such treatment nowadays The
engineer then was paid cents mile for his share
I'VE mar AI,C