The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-06-12

rate-wasn't he And still these men do
this every day for the same price and at the
same risk, while the passengers regard them
as unnecessary evils, who will be continually
banging the DOORS
DEATH OF A FRIEND
Something allied Georges engine Her
pumps would not work. After tinkerng
with them awhile, he asked the fireman if
there was plenty of water in the tank the
fireman said there was, but to make assur-
ance doubly sure, went and looked, and los.
there was not drop! Before passing
through the station, George had asked the
fireman if there was plenty of water. He
replied that there was; so George hal run
through the station, it not being a regular
place for stopping for the train, and here
we are in a fix. George thought he could
run to the next water station from the place
we stopped; we cut loose from the train
and started. We had stopped on the out
| side OF a long curve, to the other end of
which we could see-fllly half a mile-but
the view was straight across the water bay
of the river sweeping il there, around which
/ the track went
! In about twenty minutes after George
{ had left, We saw him coming around the
farthest point Of the Curve; brakesman
at once took his station with his light at
the end of the cars, to show George precise
ly where the train stood. The engine came
swiftly towards US. and | saw that he was
getting so near that he could not stop with
ont a collision, unless he reversed his
engine at once; so | snatched the lanter
from the brakesman's hands and swung i,
wildly across the track, but it was of no
avail. On came the engine, not Stacking
her speed the least. We saw somebody
Jump from the tireman's side, and in in
slant of time allowed US, we looked TO see
George jump; but no he stuck to his post,
and there came as of mountain falling.
The heavy freight engine running as it was,
at high rate of speed as it could make,
crashed into the train thirteen cars were
piled into mass of ruins, the like of which
is seldom seen. The tender was turned
bottom side up. with the engine lying on top
of it, on its side. The escaping steam Shrek
ed and hoWled the water pouring in upon
the fire, cracked and hissed; the stock
(the sheep and cattle.) that were in the cars
beloved and bleated in their agony. and i,
seemed as if all the legious of hell were then
striving to make a pandemonium of that
quiet place by the river side. AS soon as We
recovered from the shock and got used to
the din which first struck terror TO orr
hearts-and | think no sound can be more
terrible than the believing of a lot of cattle
in railroad smash..up-we went to work to
see if George was alive, and to get him out
dead or alive. We found him under the
tender, but one side of the tank lay across his
body, so that he could not move. We 90,
rails and lifted and pried until We got him
out. We took one of the doors from the
wrecked cars, laid it beside the track, and
made bed on it with our coats and the
cushi,ns from the caboose; for poor George
he wanted to pass the few moments left him
, on earth beneath the open sky, and with the
. cool breeze to fan cheek of course we dis.
patched a man to the nearest station for aid
and to telegraph from there for an engine
but it was late at night, everybody wa:
asleep, and it was more than three hour.
before any one arrived, and all that time
George fingered, occasionally whispering ;
word to me- as bent over him and msistenet
his lips.
{" lie told me while lying there the reason
ne did not stop sooner. Something had 90
loose OIL the inside throttle gearing, and h,
could not shut off steam, nor, owing to som,
;, unaccountaLle completely of evil, he coule
u not reverse his engine. So on he had t.
:" come pell nell, and both of them wer,
- killed; for the fireman had jumped on som,