ler without first having it thoroughly tested.

Don't stop when descending a steep grade.

Don't pull through a stockyard without first closing the damper tight.

Don't pull onto a strange bridge without first examining it.

Don't run any risk on a bad bridge.

A TRACTION ENGINE ON THE ROAD

You may know all about an engine. You may be able to build one, and yet
run a traction in the ditch the first jump.

It is a fact that some men never can become good operators of a traction
engine, and I can't give you the reason why any more than you can tell
why one man can handle a pair of horses better than another man who has
had the same advantages. And yet if you do ditch your engine a few
times, don't conclude that you can never handle a traction.

If you are going to run a traction engine I would advise you to use your
best efforts to become an expert at it. For the expert will hook up to
his load and get out of the neighborhood while the awkward fellow is
getting his engine around ready to hook up.

The expert will line up to the separator the first time, while the other
fellow will back and twist around for half an hour, and then not have a
good job.

Now don't make the fatal mistake of thinking that the fellow is an
expert who jumps up on his engine and jerks the throttle open and yanks
it around backward and forward, reversing with a snap, and makes it
stand-up on its hind wheels.

If you want to be an expert you must begin with the throttle, therein
lies the secret of the real expert. He feels the power of his engine
through the throttle. He opens it just enough to do what he wants it to
do. He therefore has complete control of his engine. The fellow who
backs his engine up to the separator with an open throttle and must
reverse it to keep from running into and breaking something, is running
his engine on his muscle and is entitled to small pay.

The expert brings his engine back under full control, and stops it
exactly where he wants it. He handles his engine with his head and
should be paid accordingly. He never makes a false move, loses no time,
breaks nothing, makes no unnecessary noise, does not get the water all
stirred up in the boiler, hooks up and moves out in the same quiet
manner, and the onlookers think he could pull two such loads, and say he
has a great engine, while the engineer of muscle would back up and jerk
his engine around a half dozen times before he could make the coupling,