The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-08-29
THE "PITcH-IN.-


And the long, black scar on my brow!
Oh never mind-it would take week,
And YOU can't want 10 know Il now.
Won do Very well, YOU shall have II, then,
All The same-a bit rough in the style;
Nor Won can't spect stories from railway men,
Nor poems from sons of the SOL.
Won know as drives the Hector, en-!
Express on the North great gauge;
only drove one Of the shorts that day,
And of course much lower IN wage.
We stopped az all stations from London out,
And We stopped at each signal IN
The work made a man thn no matter how stout,
And It never made stout the man thin.
For YOU see that line there were tunnels score,
And cross-lines, all forming net
And points in one tunnel where, Jack Braddon
swore,
Old Jack was my stoker-a pitch-in' he meant;
But he'd stocked for so many year
That his mind had got sooty, his back rather bent,
And his eyes had fiery leer.
He was good mate and true though, 10 me in those
days,
And many's the mile we have run.
Poor Jack lie was out and out queer in his way
But, there, shall never be done.
There was down in the tunnel, and always had been
Beside OF the switches, hole,
With lamp for the Signals red and green,
You know-on the top of pole
And here. like a sentry, signalman stayed
Controlling each train that should run;
For the up that came on-there, it made me afraid
To think what neglect would have done.
For, You see, while one up on the rail came ful
dash,
Were the red lamp of danger not shown,
A down might run on, cross the metals, and-crash
How the line would with murder be strown
And this in a tunnel with darkness and death
This crash in place black as ink:
Good God just TO think-there 10 give up your
breath!
tell you shuddered to think.
And many's the time have drawn a long sigh
AS we raft ed along past the box,
After seeing the signalman right, going by,
At his post. where the wires he blocks.
There came. though a day when don't know how
'twere,
Jack Braddon was down in the dumps;
And caught him a-looking at me with stare,
As he stopped just to throw in the Jumps.
" What's up, Jack - says, ran along trim,
''You'd look most green as leek,
II that physiog of yours a. Wallsend warn't grim;
But there, man, look Screw down the brake :!
Jack screwed down the brake, and We came to a
And then, as we run on once more,
Jack says to me soft, IA he let his voice drop
Dick Dallas, who's on at the shore?
We called that the shore there-the tunnel, l
mean,
Where our line crossed the up by the hole
For it looked grim as any foul drain have seen,
And black as our tender of coal.
"Whos on at the shore Jack 2 says, why, what
There's steady chaps pointed, heap"
"Right, Dick thea, says Jack and our lives they
BIT suppose as ha, chap vas asleep! ~
We were dashing along in a pretty good race,
With the mouth of the tunnel ahead,
When Jack spoke and then if the cutting-each
Didn't spin round as if I'd been bled.
"Cenfound you - says, in a voice full of spite,
As whisted aud put on more steam
For there in the distance the green shone all
right
Though it seemed quite sickening CLEAN.
I" Here, shove on more coal, says, quick, and
Wait till ont Of the tunnel we get.
You're nice sorter mate" says, "by long chalk
Not that al your CANNON shall fret
hardly had roared out them words 10 poor Jack,
when We dashed by the box with leap;
And there in a moment saw. leaning back.
The s!gnahnan-heipieSS asleep!
The next flash ahead showed an engines two
Ny God can't tell you my fears.
"Turn steam Of, turn on = Why, look here, my
A. tell You the tale after years.
Screw down curse you, screw" He had done it
But what was the use o. the brake?
The points they were clan iing out loud. as I swore
And The tunnel was filed by shrek,
As the NJ engines whistle rang out loud and shrill
And theu--caut you picture it well?
Two trt,ius IN "a tuuuCl--a Cra-l-.heu all still;
And hen each loud 4gonZed yell.
The cries Of the frightened, more loud than the
crushed
Aud then the loud hiss OF the steam.
As from ont Of he bruised pipes il suenly rushed
And the wreck IN the lamps sickly CLEAN.
It's to me like dream "a, giddiy rise
From tho midst OF great heap 90 coal;
Ny lace ana NhuOs bleeding. All misty nay eyes,
A grOpc my way our OF the hole.
Then | know went back with the porters and
guards,
With the passengers trembling each man:
And struggled % drag on the injured there, barred
BY each -p.,utered-ul c.rriage and van.
Not any COO soon. for before we had dole
The furnaces hrcd the heap;
And racing and licking the walls as they'd run,
The hames ru1ged ana rushed with a leap.
remember, TOO. now. all the wounded and dead
score ~ the least when all told
As they lay in the station and tnen the guard said
Where's Braddon?" and then turned cold
For Il struck me ut once, in the shore he must lie
With the flames roaring hard at his side
And OF all who We're present not one dared to try
To again tread that furuace-hole wide
thought OF Jacks young uns, thought of his
wife:
And then, with &" God help me-" ran
Down the great rudy tunnel, now scared for my
life,
And climbed on, eacr corner to scan.
1t was raging, that heat-it was scorching my skin
And all beaten felt must fail
When. from under an axle that wedged him tight in
heard my poor mates helpless wall
lie called me by name. Then through smoke and
thrOegh steam,
With the fire even singing my head,
managed TO free him and out by the CLEAN
OF the fire bore him-but dead;
For before had stumbled DER sleeper and rail
One-half of the distance, he sighed
"Oh, God help my little ones - Then, with a wall
"Oh, Polly he whispered, and died.
You asked me about this old mark here-this seam.
And the scar Of the burn my brow
II was all in that pitch-n that seems like dream,
signalman sleepIrg-that's howl