The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-06-12

that my hair ought to have turned white thar
night with anxiety AZ
ut was when the Hudson River railroad was
just built. There was NO telegraph along the
line then, and everything Was quite primitive
compared to what 1t is now. The fagmen had
got on sort Of strike about those days, too, 60
that you trusted to luck for safe running. I was
running sort Of way-train between New York
and Poughkeepsie then. Running an express
is much pleasanter that running a way you
may easily imagine An express sometimes
don't stop fer an hour ct time. and, after you've
worked yoar coaches oace, you have nothing to
do but sit down and earn your money that easy
way. Then, when you. rsacA the next station,
if your braksmen mind thelr businsss, they can
tell you how many 'passengsrs you have got into
each coach. and then you are always able TO pick
them out, because they haven't got the settled air
OF the old passengera But svay-trsin conduc-
tor has much harder work. fsts
swell, ran the train out Of New York one
afternoon, and mad for the driver of the engine
man who was famous for the accurate way in
which he would come up to his stations. He
would stop any named coach almost to foot
where he said he would but on this occasion he
appeared to have very poor luck. He ran past
his stations and had to back down, and then
again he. would stop go short that the engine
would be in front of the station and the rear
coach an eighth of a mile back, and it raining
hard. too. Then he'd start up again, just as the
passengers were getting ont. So we kept run
ming behind time all the while. There was
sort OF lightning express camo out of New York
about an hour after US, and we were gradually
working back into its time.
1--WE got near Fishkill, and, having made an
awful bad shot at depot, said to the baggage
master: Mack has bad luck at making his sta
lions to-day. Wonder what's the matterP'
"The baggage-master turned around on me
quickly and said:
"If you want to know what think, think
Mack is drunkr
ut can't be-" says I, Il never saw him touch
drop Of liquor or smell of it in any way
That's So" said the man, but think he's
drunk to day. He was in the car here little
while ago, and picked up all the braksmen's
lanterns and slung them in bunch at me. I
lodged, and they went out of the car door and
smashed. Then he chuckled and went back to
the engine
81 didn't like the idea of drunken engineer,
but had to laugh at the fate of the lanterns. If
l had known how was going to groan over
their fate soon, wouldn't have laughed then.
"When got above Fishkill, thought I'd let
those who got at Of the little stations ride
free to the next station, while ! rode on the
engine and investigated. ~ ~ - ~
back enough instead of as civil as usual. I joked
him about his bad luck in making his stations
and he growled out curse. asked him if he
knew how nearly he had got back into the light
ening express time, and he said hse knew his
own business. The man was evidently drunk
and surly. happened to put my hand down
under the cushion Of the seat and felt bottle.
Pulling the cork out smelled whisky and
quietly threw it overheard. But Mack saw me
and cursed me for destroying his property
What did you throw that bottle away for !; It
wasn't your rum 7 he said at the end of an awful
swear.
IN tell you Why said L; I'm conductor of
this train, and you are too drunk to do your
business right, and you'd gat worse and worse if
you had bottle.' aE tE4 s.tt ,7.f ,f,yr
''Then he grinned q savage sort of grim and
quoted down into a silent state, but he looked
dangerous about the eyes. M, srF2
"You're conductor of this train, are you /? I'll
show you how much you have to do with run.
ming it, says he, and began to slow up and we
behind time already, you know. didn't know
exactly what to dove were getting danger
ously near the lightning express time-and
while was debating, he suddenly blew brakes
with fiendish chuckle, and stopped at sta.
ton that the train never stopped at before l
looked at my watch, and determined to send
brakeman back with lantern and stop the ex-
press. just then a thought struck me that made
my hair stand upon end There aoasnt lantern on,
tie uain-the drunken beast had smashed them
all-there wasn't soul at the station. which
was mile away from its village the express
didn't stop before it reached Poughkeepsie, so
that couldn't leave word to caution it, and Just
then heard its whistle mile or two back. The
engineer heard it too, and laughed dlobolical
laugh.
"rhat decided me. caught up wrench and
hit him back of his ear, and he dropped like
dead. dragged his body Il didnf know
whether was handling corps or not off the
engine and threw it down by the roadside and
jumped on the engine.
Jimmy said l, the express is after u.s. Mack
smashed all the lanterns-so wo can't stop here
SO cram in the wood, and I'll open everything
81 knew, by observation, how to open and how
to shut off, but of course couldn't graduate the
speed like professional. / opened everything
you may be sure, and away we jumped. 1t was
a curious chase. To be hunted by a locomotive
don't fall to the lot of every one. Our engine
was not so powerful one as the express engine,
and our train was quite long; SO we orammed in
the fuel and depended upon high pressure for
orr salvation. Of course, I never thought for
moment of stopping that side of Poughkeepsie;
so we speeded past the stations, all lighted and
filled with wondering faces t,,rr]
"Just after passing the second TIC gong on the
engine struch-some one bad pulled the safety
rope. The freman's hand went instinctiveiy to
the whistle to blow tcaaes, but / caught it. 1t
was tho most anxioas minute of my life. IF 1
did not mind the signal and something was
wrong and an accident should occur, / should
always be blamed, even if 1 didn't blame myself
But, if ] stopped, the express pight-probably
would--run right into us The pull didnt
sound professional brakesman's 1t pro-