Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-03-25
Life ON q Locomotive.

bhANisG DEATH AT SIXTY hlLks An hOUh-sAl
RENISIscESCEs.
1t rs quite a popular idea that because
a man pursues a dangerous occupation hi
must grow so used to the presence Of deatt
as not only to Jose his fear Of il, but even
tually to triAc with it. Locomotive engin
GERS, therefore, are particularly supposed
to be, without exception, a set of reckless
foolhardy, death-defying persons, who have
decided upon a date for smashing theiI
trains and are enjoying life meanwhile.
Those few who are acquainted with the
men IN question are aware how fallacious
this inference is. Their ayocation is at.
tended with unusual danger, and they
gradually lose their fear Of it; but it is
safe to say that nine out Of ten among
them arc married men, with families TO
care for and 10 love; aud this responsible.
ity, even if they thought nothing Of the
passengers in their charge. would suffice
to make them watchful. %diligent, and care
ful. Carelessness on their part is almost
inevitably attended with disgrace and loss
Of employment. and 10 cases Of accidents
rarely escape injury so, that, as they are
mere mechanical figures, it is unreasonable
to suppose that they are aware of the
risks they run in the disregard Of caution
aud care.
Wm. Guild, the engineer of the Shore
line traiu which met with the Rishmond
switch disaster in Rhode Island last spring.
showed his affection for his family in the
salute which he whistled as his engine
dashed past his home every day. One
dark night passed, and the loving wife
listesed in vain for her husbands greeting
He was dead. The next morning they
removed his stiffeDed hand from the lever
OF his engine, and carried from his post,
where be had remained even after Geath
overlook him. Thus he rafuted the gen.
eral i~mputatiou of carelessless upon the
profession, for be was neither reckless nor
u~ntrastworthy.
In the majority Of serious railway dis
asters the engineers have been either ia
tally injured or killed outright, therefore
a few incidents where they have escaped
would be appropriate.
A JUMP FOR LIFE.
In the spring OF 1870, when Engineer
Mestayer was running the Philadelphia
express, he was occasinally detained at
Trenton, and was obliged TO make up for
lost time on the latter end of his trip.
His train made no stops between Trenton
and Camden, and such freight or accom-
mediation trains as might be Gu route in
either direction we're switched into turn.
outs, leaving supreme right of way for the
express. One evening, when Mestayer's
train had been delayed longer than usual,
the engineer opened the lhrottle.valve, and
LETT Trenton at the rate Of thirty Eve miles
an hour. A few miles further on there
was a long switch, and as his train ap.
preached it, Mestayer saw that the sig.
nails were call right" and that a freight
train, bound for New York, was waiting
on the switch for him to pass. When
within a few rods Of the switch the watch.
fal engineer saw that it wrs open although
the slgnal-light notified him to keep on.
lie seized his lever and used every effort
to bring the train to a stop, but the dis.
tance was too short. The train left the
main track and dashed down the siding to
the freight. At the last moment Mes,a.
yer sprang from his cab, aud striking on
his feet, witnessed the collision. The
damage was dreadful. Both trains were
teles9oped and several live. we're lost
among them the engineer of the freight
train, and the fremcn of both engines.
Mestayer's assistant was scalded and burnt
to crisp and had not the engineer jumped
when he did bis fate would doubtless have
been the same.
Tne engineers of 10th colliding trains in
a more recent disaster on the New York
and O'wogo Midland Railway escaped
death in a similar manner. Both their
fremen we're killed.
SAVED FROM DISGRACE
David Van Buskirk, who is now the
Master-M echanic of the New York, Bos-
ton & Montreal Railway, tells Of an in.
terestiDg incident that occurred while he
was an engineer on a Western railroad.
He had collided with a passenger train,
and one or two coaches were smashed and
his own engine was injured to a great OK.
tent. He feared the displeasure of his
superintendent, and was brooding over his
misfortune as he ncared the end Of his
trip, when a singular opportunity to re.
uieve his reputation presented itself.
The round house" in Wiuona, MINI,
whittier he was bound, took fire in the
roof. and when Van Buskirk arrived with