The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-12-15

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The following account Of transaction, in
which the narrator was one OK the parties
concerned, is given to show the terrific dan
gers to which persons in the railroad employ
are subject, and, also, as a remarkable in
stance Of escape from what might seem GER
tain death. The story is related as near as
possible, in the words of the Mail-Agent him
self:
Twas at one time in the employ Oft the Gov
ernment as Mail-Agrnt, and on the day in
which the following event occurred which was
on Saturday. about the middle OF May, IS,
was running down with ole of the English
mails from Ny b. The dispatch Of
these trains was irregular, and depended up-
on the will Of the Chief Postmaster, and they
have since, think, been entirely given up.
At about 8 p. NJ, we reached S., that
busiest and prettiest of all the inland New
Eng.and cities. The trees were just putting
on their FIRST garment Of fresh green leaves,
the wide fields began TO shine with verdure,
and every boy and girl seemed to have ju. t
found some new sport andto utter some new
kind Of shout, as we dashed into the old depot,
with shrek from the engine Ga very power
full one of the first class, called the Etna,)
enough to take ones hair of his head. All I
had on the train was just one car behind the
tender, carrying the great mails, some valua-
BILE express matter, aud live brakeman. |
used to think myself great man in those
days, u hen l was entrusted with, sometimes
half million Of property, but had good
reason to change my mind before was over
with this special trip, that I'll be bound
What is any amount of dollars and cents com.
pared with the risks that man must run who
is at the head OF an express mail train! We
halted in the s. depot just long enough to
wood and water, seize upon mug Of piping
hot chickory coffee, and bit of greasy paste
conceaiing slab Of dried apple-sauce, and
called, in courtesy a pie-when springing on
the train We left the station somewhat before
sunset, and were soon flying along at head
long pace, in the direction Of the seaboard.
Now doubt not, to you and other gentle.
men who ere in the habit OF sitting N com.
Portable railroad car, on stuffed seat, read
ing the last news from Europe or the pages Of
some entertaining novel, the mode of travel
and the various little incidents on the road
seem very delightful. But the thing is very
different when you are pei chej on the seat
the engine, and going down ,he road at the
rate Of fifty miles an hour, a velocity not
rarely attained where the track is in good or
der, and getting over ground the sole consid.
Grafton in view. ! CO, ID not endure the SOL
itude Of the mail car, and almost uniformly
sat forward, ev, n WHEN il was stormy, aud
can conceive of few things more astonishing
and at the same time overpowering TO SEN
sitive person, than that Of night trip, when
you cannot see an inch ahead, unless you are
at the engineers window, and YOU sit sway
ing about after the engine, Cor machine as il
is invariably called by the employ ees) (which
seems every moment as if i. would fling it.
self offthe track, US it continually surges aud
leans from one side to the other. In the pas.
senger cars no idea whatever of tn. speed. IF
The momentum, can be obtained; this can on
ly be got by standing near the track as the
train whizzes by, or being upon the engine
or tender. There is an addition to the Jerks
and motion ahead. a universal compound hid.
eous noise made Of steam fixing. The shrek
Of the whistle which never seems to be over
on fast train, as it il the Gust, m to whistle
at every crossing. and a general grooming OF
wheels, chains. uxels, and the rough of the
wind as it draws through the engine. In fact
take quiet man out of his parlor some
stormy evening. with an easterly breeze,
from comfortable confab with his better
half, and put him OH the engine of q mail-,rain
"devuuring the darkness" at the rate OF forty
FIVE miles an hour, and if he RECEIVERS from
the shock in six months he will have tonsid-
erably more iron in his nerves thau most slow
cosches have known.
But on the evening in question we had fair
weat er, and day ght sufficient to last US
goud way down, first rate engine, and a
clear run to w., SO far as We knew.
"a fair prospect for good trip" said to
the engineer before starting.
st looks well enough now" was his reply
sand lit enough time TO dp it in, | only
wish the merchants of B-had to run
for themselves, and take
the beggarly wages get for the business
I'll be bound they would not scrape their pre-
cious bones over the road more than Lnce,
ard then twenty mi es an hour would take
the breath out Ut their bodies"
Thompson, the engineer on this trip, had
ridden with before. He was tall, black.
haired man from the State of Connecticut. a
great driver, and silent a. death on the road
He kept his eye fixed steadily on the track,
except when he was timing his speed. That
hs possessed the inscriptions presence OF
mind, some persons may call it recklessness,
possibly demanded by the driver Of last
train, will be shown by the incident that fol-.
ows:
We had come along very well, and were
some way past n w. think |
mghthave been going at the rate of thirt-fye
miles an hour, common running time. There
was slight curve in The road, and on get
ting round it, heard Thompson cry out at
the utmost power OF his lungs (not of much
account to be sure in the din Of the cngine)-
"There is something OH the road. Hold on
for your lives" And as he said this he put
the whole force on the engine, and let of the
full power of the whistle in shrek of such
concentrated agony, that it appeared as il the
entire chorus OF Pandemonum had been let
lOose and them i'm another second there WINS