Re: Secs What are they ?

[keithm@UNhappy.dca.gov.au (Keith Malcolm)]

In article <341faa68.18464686@newshost.pcug.org.au> rcook@pcug.org.au (Owen Cook) writes:
>From: rcook@pcug.org.au (Owen Cook)
>Subject: Secs    What are they ?
>Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 21:00:41 GMT

>A coroners report on the death of a lengthsman in 1891, uses the
>word   "secs" . I would have thought it meant sections, exception
>the word section is spelt out a number of times in the report.

>Quote

>Gangers evidence......

> I said good night and left him there - he was then standing on
>the secs on the northern side. Another Lengthsman named Harry
>Bosling was present. ...........

>Hendrick Bosling being duly sworn says I am a lengthsman of No. 3
>length on the Central Railway, ............
> About 4am I was on my way to the camp when I saw deceased lying
>on the Secs on the Northern side of the line, 

>End quotes

>So, what are secs ?

>TIA

>Owen


I would suggest that it is a misspelling of "cess" being the drainage ditches 
along the edges of the ballast formation. That sort of error is not uncommon 
when someone unfamiliar with specialist jargon is transcribing verbal 
statements into written text.

Keith G Malcolm