The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-04-01
MORNING, APRIL 1, 1870.


".You're conductor Of this train. ar
youP I'll show you how much you hav
to do with running it, says he, and begal
to slow up and we behind time already
you know. Ididn't know exactly wha
to do-wo were getting dangerously nsa
tho lightning express time-and whilo
was debating, hc suddenly blow brakes,
with ficndish chucklc, and stopped ut
station that tho train never stopped at be
fore. looked at my watch and deter
mined to send q brakeman back with n Ian
tern andsstop the exrpess. Just then
thought struck me that made my hai
stand up ON end. There wasn't n lanterl
on the train---the drunken beast hat
smashed them nll--there wasn't n soul u
the station, which was miles AWAY from
It's village; tho express didn't stop bcfor'
1t reached Poughkcepsie, SO that couldn'
leave word to caution Il, and just then
heard It's whistle a mile or two back
The engineer,hoard 1t too, and laughed I
diabolical laugh. sa Ors...a
THAT terrified me. I caught up {
wrench and ptruck him back of tho ear
and he dropped like dead. I dragged hi
body q didn't know then whether l wa
hauling corpse or noD of tho engine
and threw itdown by tho roadside. ant
jumped on tho engine. r ra.
Jimmy said I, the express Is ate
us. Mack smashed all the lantcrns-st
we can't stophcr. Our only chance Il
running away from her-so cram in thu
wood. and III open everything
~ knew, by observation, how to oper
and how to- shut of, but, of course couldn'
graduate thespecd like professional.
opened evorything,' you may be sure, and
away wo jumped. It wasa curious chase
To bc hunted by a locomotive don't fall tc
the lot Of ovbry one. Our engine was moi
50 powerful > one as the express engine
and our traid was quite long; 50 wc cram
med In tho 1pel and depended upon higf
pressure for our salvation. OF course,
never thought for moment Of stopping
that side Of Poughkeepsie; so we spccded
past the stations, oil lighted and filed will
wondering fsccs.
"Just aitsr passing the second station
The gong on TIC engine strsck-somo on'
had pulled the safety rope. The ilroman''
hand went instinctivoly to the whistle Z
blow brakcs. bnt I caught It. 1t was the
most anxious minute Of my life. III die
not mind the signal, and something wa
wrong and n kaccidcnt should occur,
should alwaysbe blamed, even II didn'
blamo mysclf. But, II stopped, the ex
press mIght-sprobably would-run righ
into us. .r.o pull didn't sound profession
al-likaa Trademarks. 1t probably wa
jerk at the rope by passenger. who ha'
been carried by his station-so I'd chanc'
1t. .a. ...
"All this went through my mind lik'
lightning. rs you may imagine-one think
quickly on such occasions-andI 1 caugh
the fireman's arm. He had never heart
of such a thing os disobcying the gong
and stared. was too excited to speak, bu
pointed to the fire, and he put in NOR
wood quietly.
"Wcll. to make long story short,
never blew brakes till the engine wa
opposite the station. Then shut of
blew one whistle, and went sliding up the
road. Just rs we stopped. the express
whose station whistle had heard just be
hind me. came up to tho depot, and stop
ped where the trains usually do. If Iha'
minded the gong, or stopped in front o
the depot, I'd been smashed.
"You sec there was no way to do bu
to run for it. We hadn't red light fo
tho rear car; we hadn't lantern, no
couldn't get one, to send back to signal
the fagmen were on strike, and the OK
press didn't stop anywhere till It reached
Poughkecpsie, and sho had got so close OF
to us when the engineer cut up rs no did
that I couldn't stop Mt q station and sent
man back. Before he could have 60
far enough away. they'd have been SO clos
that they couldn't have broke up in time
but would have come into us.
'I didn't know whether I'd killed Macl
or not, and took tho owl train back. ant
found him all right as regards death, bu
very sick from tho dip I'd given him.
''Tho company gave mo this watch wher
fhov hoard nf IN "