Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-03-09
The Mail Agents Story.

! OF the parties concerned, is give
b to show " the terrific dangers to whic
: persons in tho railroad employ al
. subject, and also, as u remarkable II
: stance Of escape from what migi
seem certain death. The story
related as near as possible, in th
words Of the Mail Agent himself
81 wa b at one time in the emplo
] Of the government as. Mail Agen
and on The day in which the follow
ing event occurred, which was of
Saturday about the middle of May
1850, | was running down with on
of the English Mails from New lorl
to Boston. The dispatch of thes
trains Was irregular, and depended
upon THE will of the Chief Post Inas
ter, and they have since, tl|ink
been entirely discontinued.
"At about 6 I. NJ, we reaoRec
Springfield, that busiest and prettieS
Eof the New England cities. The
trees were just putting on their first
garment of fresh green leaves, the
wide fields begun to shine with ver-
dure, and every boy and girl seemed
to have just found some new sport,
and 10 utter a new kind of shout, ms
We dashed into the old depot, with a
shrek from the engine, "a very pow
erful one of the first class, allied the
Htna, J enough to take ones hair oft
his head. All | had on THO train
was just one Car behind the tender,
carrying the great mails, some salua-
bio express matter, aud live brake
man, ] used TO think myself 4 great
man in those days, when | was oh
trusted with sometimes half million
of property, but | bad good reason
TO change my mind before was over
with this special TIP, that Ill be
bound. What is any amount of dol
lars aud cents compared with the
risks that man must run who Is at
the head OF IN express mail train2
We halted IN the Springfield depot
Just long enough TO wood aud water,
SEIZE upon a mug of piping hot chick
ory coffee, aud a bit of greasy paste
concealing Slab Of dried apple-sauce,
and called, in courtesy, apio-when,
springing on :, the train, we left the
station somewhat before sunset, and
were soon 0ylng along at aheadlong
naea in the direction of the seaboard
"Now | doubt not, to you and
other gentlemen who are in the habit
OF sitting IN d comfortable railroad
car, on stuffed seat, reading1the last
news of Europe, or the pages Of some
entertaining novel, the mode Of
travel and lhevarious little incidents
on the road, Seem very delightful Fl
bat the thing is very different when
you arG perqhe on the seat oil an
engine, aud going down the road at
the rate of fifty mi les an hour, q
velocity not rarely attained where
the truck is id good order, and get
ting over the road thp sole consider
alton in view
II GOULD not endure the solitude
Of the mail car, and dlmost unllorml-
ly sat forward, eve b when. it was
stormy, and ! can conceive OF lew
things more astonishing, and at the
same time more overpowering, TO q
sensitive person, thai that of a night
trip, when you cannot see an inch
ahead, unless you are at the engi-
neer's window, and sit 8waying about
after the engine, COR machine, as IT
is invariably called by employces,(
which seems every moment as if il
would fling itself OF the track, as W
continually Says and leans from QUO
side to the other In the passenger
cars no idea whatever of the speed
Of the momentum, can be obtained;
this can only be got by standing
near the track as The train whizzes
by, or being upon qhe engine or ten
der. .E
"There Is, in addition to the Jerks
and motion ahead, a universal conn
nound hidoous moi be made Of steam
iizzing, the shrielE oil the WHISTLE
which never seems to be over OH q
FAST train, MS ii il the custom TO
whistle at every crossing, and 4 gon-
eral grooming Of wheels, chains, axles'
1 nd the sough Of the wind as u
raws through the engine. LII fact,
1a,se n ouiet man out of his perlor
some stormy evening, with an easter