Jobs That No Longer Exist Today #8- STOKER

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Continuing my series on interesting/strange occupations gone due to societal and technological changes. 'STOKER' A stoker or fireman was the unfortunate individual tasked with tending the fire in the boiler of a steam train, ship or saw mill. Physical strength would be required for this job of shoveling coal into a boiler. Also, these workers were exposed to extremely high temperatures in such an enclosed area. The term fireman was often used to describe these employees on steam locomotives. Large coal-fueled vessels also had individuals working as coal trimmers, who delivered coal from the coal bunkers to the stokers. They were responsible for all coal handling with the exception of the actual fueling of the boilers. Thankfully, the introduction of electric locomotives, ships and a device called a mechanical stoker rendered the profession obsolete. Here are a short list of fascinating stokers! Notable stokers in history: 1. Russian Revolutionary and Socialist Lenin escaped by train to Finland in 1917 disguised as a stoker. 2. There were approximately 176 stokers on board the coal fed and iceberg-fated ocean liner RMS Titanic. 3. KFC founder Colonel Sanders worked as a railroad stoker when he was 16 or 17. 4. A 14-year old Martin Luther King Sr. worked as a fireman on the Atlanta railroad. Hope you found this subject educational and informative... Want to give the "Stoker" occupation a try? I'd rather be the Engineer myself Source- www.loveofmoney.com and Wikipedia Photo- blackdiamondnow.net