St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-07-05

l;tDglil9 over Us IHcrc WaS comfort |
e the thought: but alas it was Yer
short lived, for glance down the trai
: Sutflccd TO show us that the door of tl
, van was one OF those which were sri
standing open. The conviction w,
therefore forced upon us that the guar
: had been left behind. lie waS not O
the engine or he would have stopped til
. tram; he was not on his way TO it. o
l we should have been able TO see him b
the light Of the side lamps of the tram
, and he was not in his van. or hi. doc
would have been shut, and hi. brak
vigorously applied long ere this, and o
that there was not the slightest iniica
ton.
Ours was truly an awful position
: Passengers iii Il runaW. train. Oh
black and moonleSS light, and with nei
ther engine driver nor guard 10 help lis
The Middlesham and Dillmouth rail
way was about TWENTY-FIVE miles long
and there were four intermediate stations
-Ackrldge. burton, FELTON, and If
combe, between the two tcrmin. Tw,
OF these stations were passed, and W,
had therefore run about halt the distance
We had been fifteen minutes in dom
one halt, and would most probably dc
the rest of the Journey in les time than
that. y ,"i>crabIy short time 10 save :,
many lives ; but something must L,
done. | had already made up my mind
that / would do ii. and was preparing by
dlve>ting myself of whatever would i'm
peIe my motions, and prevent the fre,
Use OF my limbs, when the first merchant
looked wondcringIy at me. and asked me
what | WIS gong 10 10.
Il am going 10 Try to stop tli- train.
TO save my life and all our lives"
have 10 confess that until that moment
had been thinking only OF INV OWN lie.
and had scarcely .ivcn Il thought To- the
numerous passengers in that heavily
treighted tram but when SAW the
merchant look >hudirrin.lv ont into the
darkness through which we were tlyiuc.
and the hopeless look with which hc trlI
back. almost >nJhing, into liz corner.
began TO have an iica of the luiv tina,
WIS before me ;lnI ncryc,l nv -clt Ia
the utmost 10 10 ii.
Hitherto | have Intentionally -ail very
little about myself. but il i muw n,cc--
sary 10 state that WAS an rmplpyr 81
the inmcn-c railway concern. ct which
the MiIIlr.llam anI Dillmuutn W. bal
Il branch have u>tl the >,uniin.
word cuployr. hut tie simple laci W.
that | w..> :, relief clerk. and tina. | w..-
ii that very time um my WAY 10 I.cpmb,.
10 take the place al the station master.
who was then seriously i'll and unable 10
attend 10 h- duties. WAS vcry often
called 10 this particular Kind oi du;y.
and had in consequence acquired 4 very
thorough and practical acquaintance
with the outside work OF railway.
had had Il great deal oil knocking aluu.
from one place 10 another. AMI had been
involved III some four or live diiicrcm, ac-
cidcntS of 4 more or les serious clarac-
ter, had luckily escaped from them
all without injury. unlc-, | dignity with
the name OF injury the sli.lt bru!-c
which / got hy being iamIned in the
doorway Of an "ycrturnin. carria.c. hv
gentleman who WAS Just Il ANXIOUS t.
bc out ut ii a. was
Nothing 50 much tends to give man
presence of mind a> the bcin" concerned
in lew railway accidents. The first
time. he i>, a. it We're. knocked stupid
the second time he BEGINS to reason hui
the third time he decidedly objects. and
the first chance he has hr i ont Of lhr
train and doing his best 10 assist hi> fel-
low passengers. had exceeded this
stage 10y, a> | have said, two or three
accidents, and had gained 4 considerable
stock OF presence oi mind, which | wis
prepared to use in the present emergency
would try to reach the engine bv
walking along the platforms o.! the car
ria.es My mind had been made up 10
that long ago, fer through my umcnvia-
ble experiences of railway accidents,
had got INTO .thc unconscious habit "f
forming Il course Ot action ior mvSclt' for
almost any cventuallty which could turn
up. had besides known OF two cases
OF runaway trains. In both cases the
steps OF the carriages were used as Il
means OF communication with the engine.
In the first case successfully. but in the
second, the guard was smashed against :,
signal post in swinging from one door
handle TO the next, and the tram itself
went tearing on until 1t came to the ter
minus, where 1t tore up the buffers. and
was finally deposited in fragments about
the platform and the iir>t-class refresh.
ment room. Fortunately ii WAS an
empty train and late at night, 50 that no
one was injured except the engine driver.
who broke his leg in jumping from the
engine. when he found he could not stuu
it and the guard, who was killed Tie
other case was that Ot train which
seemed certain 10 come III collision with
another at level crossing. The driver,
put on their engine at tuil speed and
Jumped off: Almost by Il miracle there
was no collision, and the tram went OH
with no one to check ii. ~ it happen.
ed, the guard had seen the danger, amd
had also seen the two men jump of til,
engine, SO that when the crossing wa,
safely passed., he made the best OF hi,
way along the steps OF the carriages i,
the engine, which he reached in safety
and was able TO draw up before they
arrived at the next station.
:. This was the plan intended 10 put
into practice, but on looking out OF tn,
right-hand window, L was staggered I,
find some OF the doors sill flying open
and, as it would te extremely difficult
if not impossible, to pass them at the rat,
We We're going, it was much too hazard
Gus to think ot GONG that way and tn,
other side was equally out ot the ques