Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-01-19
THE BRAVE ENGINEER.


at the station in Syracuse. n. Y, there is
assigned to Mr.. Glenn the duty of arranging
each day to which of the engines the several
| ira ins are TO be assigned, so that as the hour
| of departure for each comes, the engine will
| be in readiness to take its burthen.
He was for number of years engineer
| in active service, distinguished for courage
and prompt resolution. There are some in-
stances of this, which by their incidents ought
| not TO be omitted from the roll of the truly
| brave deeds done by men,
| He was at his bar, his engine careering ON
with the speed that only steam's strength can
give, the road was clear, the busy wheels kept
their regular roll, the huge drivers beneath his
seat made swift circling, and they who in tho
cars were borne onward, knew no obstacle In
their journey. Everything moved on accord
ing to the card, and they who were by the road
side found the cal marking by ITS passage The
moment as accurately as if it was the hand of
great dial. Suddenly he discovered a small
Object near the rail. The human vision grows
sharp beyond the opticians art in such an in
stant- The object moved, assumed form, be-
came only too apparent. 1t was little girl
playing with the dirt between the rails.
One may in the race pull the blooded horse
TO his launches and in a brief space control
his movement; that springing muscle has but
a light weight to control; the backward pad
die soon changes the course OF the steamer
but this huge engine, with its rather rush than
roll, DONQcrOuS. DOWeEIul. III cdfHcSt III It's mo-
tion that it must have great space of change,
how shall this stop before it shall crush out OF
a II form of life the feeble child : The play
with the soil is OF such Importance that the
little one does not hear the roar of the wheels,
or if il does, it is the child of cabin proxi-
mate to the rail, and the sound is n familiar
one-it continues its play, and nearer by an ad-
vance that is the very step of death, the train
comes toward il. Mr.. Glenn determined in a
test accuracy of judgment that his train could
not stop in time! What If it was checked, and
the speed that was measuring the mile by the
very few minutes, diminished, the deathblow
by the swifter wonld be the more merciful-
| destruction was certan-the little one must
| meet the force that would crush il from the
record of the living, and its play went on as If
| it were at its mothers feet. 49,
The brave man read the realities of the
scene in an instant He left his bar The
| fireman's heart forgot to beat; as for the pas
sengers, they were acting out the every day
scenes of commonplace peaceabe journey;
perhaps the checked speed caused somebody
| to lay down his newspaper; of the intense
scene without, he knew nothing.
! He left his bar, and walked firmly over tho
| top of the locomotive over the boiler, past the
| smoke stack he climbed the front and
down the step like framework of the pilot, and
| graspng that with desperate strength, he
/ leaned over ! the bars of iron seemed to glide
| dizzily away beneath him, and now the strug-
| gle for the child was one between death and
| bravery, and as ever in this mortal time, the
| King of Terrors seemed to have all the might
| in his skeleton hand. He leaned over! he
reached forw ard and at that instant, at that
| period of time, (moment is too long word to
| express this) as the cruel edges of the pilot
was about to crush the little one, he, not tho
| locomotive, struck the child; if ever there
was a bold love touch this was one and the
| child laid between the ties and on the fast
train darted. Then down went the brakes, the
! strong arm of the brakeman strained the wheel
lever to crowd the delaying surface against
| the speed then passengers aroused TO find tho
| train coming to a bait, while neither station
| nor tank was near; then this brave man trod
! his locomotive top back again, and as soon as
| jumped from his iron step and ran down the
| road ; the wonder that agitated limbs
could move SO fast, and here-there was tho
ch lid, living, unharmed, not a bone broken,
not quite recovered from its astonisbmert at
the lifcgiving blow which had turned aside
the dart OF death.
Restored to its parents, who thronged a.
round its deliverer, the little one too youss
TO realize that it had quivered the very
verge of another world, was taken home, Mr..
Glenn returned to his engine, and the locomo-
tive careered to its grand progress with not q
stain of blood npon its FURNISHED metal.
And is not this the record of the deed of
the highest order of bravery, the courage
that saves life n