Reply to "How we used to railroad"

That throwing of the fusee in the air to signal the head end that all were aboard and ready to go sometimes went badly, if it was not used with common sense.  A Santa Fe Brakeman (who had just enough experience to think he was a lot more experienced than he actually was), who had been shown that procedure at a remote siding on the plains, arced one skyward at Birds, Texas, and burned down a house.