The Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1852-1855, 1854-04-28
THE NAiL AGENTS STORY

ihr parties ~ucsrhcd !. given 90 show
the iernde danger. io shirh person. in
the Railroad employ arc suhirst. and
also, rs remarkable instace of csrap,
from What might seem ccriain death --
The story ). r.Ini,.i -. urar n possible.
in the words o, ihr Mail Agent him
self
was ai one time in The employ VI
the Government A. Mail Ageut. and on
the day in which the following event
occurred, which was Of Saturday,
abou, the middle Of May, ls--. was
running down with one Of the English
mails from N-Y--to 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 discontinued.
At about G p. NJ. we reached S..
that busiest, and prettiest of the inland
New England cities. The trees were
just putting on their first garment Of
fresh green leaves, the wide fields began
10 shine with verdure, and every boy
and girl seemed TO have just found some
new sport and TO utter new kind of
shout, as we dashed into the old depot,
with shrek from the engine, "a 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 valuable
express matter, and live brakeman
used to think myself great inan in
those days when was entrusted with
sometimes half million Of property,
but had good reason TO change my
mind before ] was over the special trip
that I'll be bound. What is any amour
Of dollars and cents compared with the
risks that man must run who j. at the
head of an express mail train2 W.
halted in the S---depot Just long
/
mug of piping hot chickory coffr".
and bit Of greasy paste concealing n
slab of dried apple sauce, and called, in
courtesy, a pie-when, springing on the
train, we left the station somewhat be-
fore sunset, and were soon flying along
at headlong pace in the direction of
the sea board.
Now doubt not, to you and other
gentlemen who are in the habit Of SIT
ting in a comfortable Railroad ear, on a
stuffed seat, reading the last news of
Europe, or the pages of some entertain
ing 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 perchcd on the
seat of an engine, aud going down the
road at the rate Of fifty miles an hour. a
velocity not 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 for
ward. even when il was stormy, and
can conceive Of few things more aston.
ishing aud AT the same time ovepower
ing, TO a sensitive person, than that of q
night trip, when yon canno, see an inch
ahead, unless you are at the engineers
window, and sit swaying about after the
engine, Tor machine. as il is inrdridbl,
called by empioyees) which seems every
moment as il it would fling itself off the
track. as il continually sags and lean,
from one side TO the other. In the
passenger cars no idea whatever Of the
speed or the momentum. can be obtain
ed this can only be got by standing
near the track as the the train whizZe.
by, or being upon the engine or ten
der.
There is. in addition to the jerks and
motion ahead. a universal compound
hideous noise made Of steam fixing, ih,
shrek Of the whistle. which never
seems TO be over on a fast train. a. il i,
the custom to whistle at every crossing
and general groaning Of wherls. chnin-
aNels, aud The soueh of the wind a, il
drove through the engine. In fact. take
quiet man out Of his parlor some
stormy evening, with an easirrly hrrezc
from a comfortable confab ~ilh HE bet.
ter hall. and put him on the engine oi
the mail tram 'drvouring lhe darkne,s'
al the rate OF fnny five mile, an hour
and II he recover, from the shock ia siS
months. hr will have considerable more
iron IN his nerves Than mosi slow
coaches have known.
Bot in the evening in question. Ne
had fair weather, aud iay light sufficient
TO last us a good ~sy down. fr-i rate
engine. and clear run To W, -
FAR ~ We knew
"A fair prnspeel for good trip,
,aid 10 the engineer, b''iarr starting
Iii looks well enough now" Was has
reily. ~And lhtle enough time to dc
ia. ] only ~i.h the mrrrhanl. OF b
lad to run ibesr----- mail lIaii,s TOT
themselves. and take The bcggady
wages GET Tor the business. III b.
bound they would not scraPe ihrir
PRECIOUS hone, over he rad more Than
uBrr and ih.n fwrniy Use mile. an boar
~o..i take ihr hfralh oai u their
lpsiie."
Thompson. The rug'n~er ON this iTir'
had ridden shh b-iorr III Wa a
IN hlnrl .hnit.-d nan frnm Dc Slale ni