Very few are advanced to the rank of engineer in
less than four years. The firemen themselves are selected men who
must pass several physical examinations and then submit to the
test of as arduous an apprenticeship as modern industrialism
affords. In the course of an eight- to twelve-hour run firemen
must shovel from fifteen to twenty-five tons of coal into the
blazing fire box of a locomotive. In winter they are constantly
subjected to hot blasts from the furnace and freezing drafts from
the wind. Records show that out of every hundred who begin as
firemen only seventeen become engineers and of these only six
ever become passenger engineers. The mere strain on the eyes
caused by looking into the coal blaze eliminates 17 per cent.
Those who eventually become engineers are therefore a select
group as far as physique is concerned.
The constant dangers accompanying their daily work require
railroad engineers to be no less dependable from the moral point
of view. The history of railroading is as replete with heroism as
is the story of any war. A coward cannot long survive at the
throttle. The process of natural selection which the daily labor
of an engineer involves the Brotherhood has supplemented by most
rigid moral tests. The character of every applicant for
membership is thoroughly scrutinized and must be vouched for by
three members. He must demonstrate his skill and prove his
character by a year's probation before his application is finally
voted upon.
Pages:
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124