Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-04-19
Running an Eng tine in a Fog.

The following sketCh 10 from volume en-
titled, "Trips in the Life of Locomotive En-.
gineer." ..., ,...
In the year 1885, was running an engine on
the - road. My engine was named the
!" Kacer,' and tracer " are was, too; her
driving wheels were seven feet in diameter.
and she could turn them hbout as fact as was
necessary, l Can assure you. NJ regular train
was the "morning exprese," .esytis the uppsr
terminus or the road OF half ptsi our, running
Sky miles in an h0ur sG5 forJy i've inmates,
which, as had to make three STOPS. might.
with justice, be considered prcsy fast travel.
Ing.
There we're op the line seVerai draw bridges,
which gere liable to be Opeucd as all hours sat
more especially about day break To be sure,
there we're men stationed at every bridge, and /,
In fact, every half mile along the road, whose
special duty it was to warn approaching trains
of danger from open draw.bridges, distractions
on the track, etc , but the class of men employ.
ed in such duty were not noted for sObriety
and the wages paid were not sufficient to se-
cure peculiarly intelligent or careful class.
So the confidence | was compelled to place in
them was necessarily burdened with much ds.
trust.
These men were provided with white and red
signal lanterns, decorating torpsd0es aud col
ored flags, and the rules of the road required
them to place torpedo on the rail, and show a
red signal both on the bridge and at q "fop
station" distant half mile from the bridge.
before they opened the draw. At all times
when the draw was closed they were TO show
white light or flag az this "fog station" This
explanation will, trusI, be sufficient to enable
every reader TO understand the position in which
l found myself in the grey of Que bright Sep
tember morning. 500.
left the starting point Of my route ten mia
utes behind time. The fog was more dense
than ever remember having seen it. Ii en-
veloped everything, ! could no. see the end of
my train, which consisted of five cars filled
with passengers. The "head-light" which
carried on my engine Illuminated the feeoy
clouds only aofeW feet, so that was running
into the most utter darkness. | did not like
the looks of things, but my "orders" were Dos
tive to use all due exertions to make time.
So, blindly putting my trust in the miserable
twenty dollars q month men who were the
agents along the read, darted headlong into
and through the thick, and. to all mortal vision,
impenetrable fog The "Rscer" behaved nobly
this morning she seemed gifted with the wings
of the Wind" and rushed thunderlngly along,
making such "timo" as assOuished me. "almost
native and to the manor born." Everything
passed off right. had "msde" up seven min.
utes OF my tmei and was within, as thought,
ten miles Of my journeys end. The speed at
which had been running had exhlerated and
excited me. That pitching into darkness,
blindly trusting TO men that had at best but
weak faith in, had given my nerves an unnatu-
raj tension, 90 resolved to run the remaining
ten miles at whatever rate Of speed the Racer
was capable Of making. gave her steam and
away we few. The fog was SO thick that i
could not tell by passing objects how fast we
ran, but the dull, heavy and oppressive roar as
We shot through rock cuttings aud tunnels, the
rocking and araining OF my engine, and the
almost inconceivablc velocity at which che
driving wheels revolved, told me ,nlt nay speed
was absoutely awful. 1 did not care, Shougb.
! was used to tnas, and sbe rules bore me cut;
besides, ] aalted 60 sin for my engine the title
OF the fastest engine Oh the road, which Iknew
ene deserved. So 1 cried, Son! on!!"
] had TO cross one draw-brldge which, owing
to the Intervention Of a high hill, could not be