The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-06-21
MISCELLANY.
A Flight in the Dark.

My father was an engineer before Inc.
ANA gave up a tolcrable business in a large
provincial town to take an engagement
under railway company; and when
lett school, he put me into his office, where
| stayed till | was twenty years old.
"This sort Of work won't do for YOU
any longer, Tom," said my father to me
one day. on are getting as lanky as
a clotlies-prop, and roun l-shouldcrd into
the bargain. We must get you out into
the fresh air. Suppose you 90 as engine
driver for couple of years it will do
your health good, and you will get an
amount Of genuine practical knowledge
that way, which you could get in no other,
which may sometime be Of great Use to
you in your profession. When you have
had enough Of that, you shall try your
hand at surveying for the new branch
they are talking about"
SO !, by no means loath, went into the
engine-shcd; and after short experience
AS {" cleaner" went out on the FugRY, as
stokcr, under old Sam Preston, one of
the most experienced drivers on the line.
The life of engnc-drivcr, when once
you have got over the dl-agreeableness of
being, while on duty at least, in chronic
state of greasy blackness, is by no means
either an unpleasant Or IN unhealthy one
and speaking for my own part, certainly
liked 1t much better than coopcd up all
Cay in an office.
We had Il week of night-duty and a
week of day-duty alternately; and were
always employed to run either the express
or mail trains-a task for which none but
the best drivers are selected. You must
understand that all this took place more
than twenty years ago, when the railway
system was in its infancy, and before the
electric telegraph was an accomplished
fact. The FHcfy was running, on the
week in question, between Mellingshall
and Rppmghurst-thc former, as you are
aware, being one Of the largest manufac-
turing towns in the northern counties, an
the headquarters of the line on which /
was employed. Melling>hall has two lines
of railw y running into it-one from the
north, and one from the southeast both
Of which lines meet at a junction about
half mile from the station, aud run their
trains between those points on rails COM
mon to the two.
The Rippnghurst mail started at eleven
p. NJ. +; that for the north half an hour
earlier; but our instructions were to have
| everything in readiness Il quarter OF an
hour before the time Of starting, and to
run the engine from the shed on to spare
line used for the purpose just outside the
yard, there TO await the signal-bell which
announced that the main line was clear,
and then run back to the platform, and
take up our train. As we drove slowly
up to our waiting place, Sam was in the
habit Of dropping of the engine most
evenings, to have a few minutes gossip
with friend of his, pcintsmm, whose
tastes, in common with Sans, ran on
large gooseberries and small dogs and as
! came back past the pontsman's box, on
my way into the station, in answer to the
bell, Sam would bid his friend good night,
leap blthely on to the engine, pull on his
| greatcoat, tie a shawl around his throat,
and prepare for the long dark journey
before him. AT the point where the Fire
! fly took up her position, waiting for the
signal, the line on one side was open to the
fields, while on the other were several
wharfs, opening on to an adjacent canal,
beyond which lay the town of Mellingshall
with its thousand lamps.
l had driven up to the waiting place
one cold autumn night, dropping Sam, as
usual, at his friend the pointsman's box,
and had just lighted my pipe, thinking to
have a quiet smoke for ten minutes before
the bell should ring, when was startled
by sudden appearance. close to the en-
gine, Of two gentlemen-for if not gentle
men, they were dressed as such-who
seemed almost as if they had sprung from
the ground, so quiet had been their ap-
proach, so unexpected was their appear
ance. Railway nobs there mnttered
to myself, smuggling my pipe out Of sight
in hot haste. " Probably couple OF
directors. Too bad Of them, though, 70