About the first of November, in each year, after the season's work has been done, a tour of inspection is made over all the lines, on a train of cars expressly prepared, consisting of two or more cars not unlike ordinary box cars with the front end taken out. Each car is pushed in front of an engine, and goes slowly over the line, by daylight only, so that the inspecting party may have a full view of the road.
The Pennsylvania road is divided into Grand Divisions, Superintendents' Divisions, of about 100 miles long, Supervisors' Divisions, of about 30 miles, and Subdivisions, of 2½ miles.
The examining committee for each Supervisor's Division consists of the supervisors of other divisions. As they pass along, they mark on a card. One sub-committee marks the condition of the alignment and surfacing of the rails; another the condition of the joints and the spacing of the ties; another the ballast, switches, and sidings; another the ditches, road-crossings, station grounds. The marks range from 0 to 10, 0 being very bad, 5 medium, and 10 perfection. When the trip is done these reports are all collected and the average is taken for each division.
As an inducement to the supervisors and the foremen of the Subdivisions to excel on their division, premiums are given as follows:
$100 to the supervisor having the best yard on his Grand Division.
$100 each to the supervisors having the best Supervisor's Division on each Superintendent's Division of 100 miles.
$75 to the foreman having the best subdivision of 2½ miles on each Grand Division.
$60 to each foreman having the best subdivision on his Superintendent's Division, including yards.
$50 to the foreman having the best subdivision on each Supervisor's Division.
In addition to the above there are two premiums of honor given by the general manager, which bring into competition with each other those parts of the main line lying on either side of Philadelphia, viz.: