Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-12-31
The Mail Agents story

and, also, as a remarkable instance oil escape
from what might seem certain death. The sto
ry is related near as possible, in the words Of
the Mail Agent himself:
Twas at one time in the employ Of the Gov
eminent as Mail Agent, and on the day in which
the following event occurred, which was on Sat
urday, about the middle of May, 49,, | was
running down with one Of The English maiIs, from
n Y to B.. The dispatch Of these trains
was irregular, and depended upon the will of The
Chief Postmaster, and they have since, think,
been entirely given up.
AT about P M, we reached S., that
busiest und prettiest Of the New England 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 seem
edo have just found some new poEt,andlo utter
some new kind Of shout, as we dashed into the
old depot, with a shrek from the engine, Ga
very powerful one OF The first class, called the
Etna,) enough TO take ones hair off his head.
All had on the train, was just one car behind
the tender, carrying the great mails, some valua-
BILE express matter and live brakeman. | used
10 think myself great man in those days, when
Twas Entrusted sometimes with 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
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 d mug of piping hot
chickory coffee, and bit of greasy paste con-
cealing slab Of dried pale sauce, and called, ia
courtesy, pie-when springing on The irain,we
left the station somewhat before sunset, and were
soun flying along at headong pace, in the direc-
lionpf The scaboard
Now doubt not. TO you and other gentlemen
who are in the habit of sitting in comfortable
railroad car, on stuffed seat, reading the latest
news from Europe or the pages Of some enter
taning 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
pefched upon the seat Of the engine, and going
down the road at the rate Of so miles an hour,
velocity moi rarely attained where the track is in
good order, and getting over the ground, the sole
consideration in view / could not endure the
solitude of the mail car, and almost uniformly
sat forward. even when il was stormy, and can
conceive of few things more astonishing and at
the same time empowering to a sentative per-
son, than that Of night trip, when You cannot
see an inch ahead, unless you are at the engin-
GERS window, and you SIT swaying about after the
engine, Tor machine it is invariably called by
the employees which seems every moment as If
itwoud fling itself off the track, as it continual
ly says and leans from one side to the other. In
the passenger cars no idea whatever the speed,
or the momentum can be obtained; this can only
be got by standing near the track as the train
whizzes by, or being upon the engine or tender.
There is III addition to the jerks and motion ahead
a universal hideous noise made OF steam 6zzing,
the shrek of the whistle which never seems TO be
over fast train as it is the custom TO whistle
al every crossing, and general grooming OF
hoo nh IL al. A.
as it draws through the engine. In fact, take
quiet man out Of his parlor some stormy evening,
with an easterly breeze, from comfortable con-
fab with his better half, and put him on the en-
CINE OF mail train, ''devonring darkness" at the
rate of 40 miles an hour. and if he RECEIVERS
from The shock in six months, he will have con-
siderable more iron in his nerves than most slow
coaches | have know.
But on the evening in question we had fair
weather, and daylight sufficient to last US good
way down. first rate engine and clear run to
W, so far as we knew.
"a fair prospect Of good trip said to the
engineer before starting.
ssIt looks well enoug Ii now was his reply,
"And little enough time to do it in,T only wish
the merchants Of B---had to run these -
mail trains for themselves, and take the beggarly
wages get for the business. I'll be bound they
woald not scrape their precious bones over the
road more than once, and then 20 miles an hour
would take the breath out Of their bodies''
Thompson, the engineer on this trip, had rid
den with before He was a tall, black haired
man from the State Of Connecticut, great driy-
er, and silent dealh9on the road. He kept his
eye fixed steadily on the track except when he
was timing his speed. That he possessed the
inscriptions presence Of mind, some persons
may call ecklessness, possibly demanded by the
driver Of fast train, will be shown by the Incl
dent that follows:
We had come along very WE'LL and were some
way past N--W, think | might
have been going at the rate Of thirty.mes an
hour, common running time. There was here
slight curve in the road, and on getting round il,
heard Thompson cry ont at the top ofhs lungs,
mot of much account to be sure in the din Of The
engne,) "There is something on the track.
Hold on for your liyes.' And as lie said this.
he put his whole force on the engine land let off
the full power Of the whistle in shrek of such
concentrated agony, that it appeared as il the en-
tire chorus of Pandeinonium had been let loose,
and then, in another second, there was lremen.
dous crash, mighty jar that threw me fiat on
The hoor OF the engine, and universal crashing
Of timber. ralIliug Of wheels, and something like
deaih-shrjek of man or beast. And in an.
other second all this agony was over, the engine
was reversed, the brakes put on, and Thompson
exclaimed, 6 We have run down tain, Mr.
Collins, and though our time is short, believe it
Is but duty to run back and see if anybody is
killed." Thompson aud /, thereupon, jumped
OIL and run back about twenty yards, when we
saw in an instant the terrific danger we had
past, and the nature Of the accident. A party
Of Irish aborers were now standing by the side
Of the road, and the engineer Of the train we had
run down, red-headed Lowand Scot, by the
name Of McGillies, told us how it had all happen
ed. " You see mon,'' said Mac, g had come
along down to back up into grayelpit, with
about thirty men on board the dirt cars, and
car with two horses in il T; knew you would be
along, and ] believed had time to set theswlch,
back offmy tram, and put every thing in order
before you would be here. But as sure as live
at this moment, | hadn't run down more than far
enought TO get my last ear on the gravel track and
as for the switch, had not seen it, before heard
you. believe considered a second about 1t,
and | said 10 mvepll IL this avvitch ia "a, ,,o..,