Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1859-06-02
family Girtle.
Thrilling Incident in the Life of a
Locomotive Engineer.

III returning from Inlladetpnla ABOUT
the middle of August, 1858, the cars were
very crowded, and my companion in the
seat with me | found out to be a 10
connective engineer, and in the course Of
our conversation he made the remark
that he hoped he had run his last trip
upon a locomotive.
Upon making bold to ask him his rea
sons, he gave me the following story, and
since then | have found it out to be strict
ly true:
Five yeara since | was running upon
the N. Y. G. R. My run was from
B to R. 1t was the Lightning
Express Train, and it was what it name
denotes, for it was fast-a very fast run.
and if | do say it, the old Tornado could
go. | have seen her throw her six foot
driver so as to be almost invisible to the
eye. And let me here remark. it is sup,
posed by many that engineers are a hard
set Of men their lives are hard, tits true,
but / do claim to have as fine feelings,
and a heart thatcan sympathize with the
unfortunate, as any man that breathes.-
But to my story.
about half a mile from the village OF
B, there is a nice little cottage but a
few feet from the track. At that time a
young married couple lived there. They
had one child, a little boy about four
years old, a bright, black-eyed curly.
headed little chap as ever you saw. had
taken a great interest in this little fellow,
and had thrown candy and n to
him from the train, and / was sure to see
him peeping through the fence as my
train passed.
lone fine sunny afternoon we were
behind time and running.fast, nor did not
stop at B, and | was to make up one
hour before reaching R. We came
up at a tremendous speed, and when
sweeping around the curve my eye fol
lowing the tract, not over two hundred
feet ahead sat the little fellow playing
with a kitten, which he held in his lap
At the soupd of our approach he looked
up and laughed, clapping his little hands
in high glee at the afrighted kitten as it
ran from the track. Quicker than the
lightning that blasts the tall pine upon
the mountain top, I whistled down
brakes" and reversed my engine, but
knew that it was impossible to stop. No
bly, did the old engine try to save. The
awful straining and writing of its iron
drives told but too plainly of the terrible
velocity we had attained. | was out of
the cap window and down on the COW
catcher in a flash. The little fellow
stood still. | motioned him off and shout
ed ; but his little blue eyes opened wide
with establishment, and a merry laugh
was upon his lips. l held my breath as
we rushed upon him, made a desperate
attempt to catch him, but missed, and as
his little body passed | heard the feeble
cry OF me her." and the forward truck
crushed his body to atoms.
20, God, that moment! | nav live to
be an old man, but the agony of that mo
ment can never be erased from my mem
Dry. The cars stopped some rods from
the spot, and | ran back as soon as pos
slble. His mother saw the train stop,
and a fearful foreboding flashed upon her
at once. She came rushing frantically to
the spot where we stood. Never shall |
forget the look she gave me as she beheld
her lirst-born a shapeless mass. | would
have aVoided that moment! I haveseen
death in all its forms upon railroads: |
have seen men women and children man
gled and killed. have seen all this, but
that little boy as he looked up in my face
and was killed almost in nv arms, it I'M
nerved me, and from that day I made a
solemn VOW never to run a locomotive
more.
The young mother is now in the Utica
Lunatic Asylum. From the hour the boy
was killed reason had left its throne.'-
He stopped and wiped the tears from his
eyes, and said, You may think it weak
in me to she'd tears, but l cannot help it,"
No." | replied, "but think it noble !;
and, sir, would to God every mar had a
heart as large as yours" | have ,ften
thought since how few are those who give
one passing thought to the man of strong
nerve and stout arm, who guides them
through darkness and storms, with the
speed of the winds, safely to their jour
ney end. They do not, for a moment,
turn their attention from the iron mon
ster that is dragging them forward, with
fearless velocity, to meet friends and re
lations. They do not realize that the
man who guides the fiery monster, holds
all their precious lives at his command,
and that the least negligence on his part
would cause sorrow and mourning in a
thousand homes that are now awaiting
the return of the absent loved ones.