Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-06-26
From the Burlington Hawkeye.

From the Burlington Hawkeye.
One ofBret Harte's stories or John
Hays poems, wherein an engineer,
full of animal life, Indifferent morals
and questionable slang, is made the
hero of some thrilling deed, charms
us and fills us with admiration of the
ideal hero. The steady nerve, the
cool head, and the unwavering cour-
age which are so characteristic Of
railway engineers as a class, has long
made them favorite subjects for the
story-writer, but it is true that the
dry, unimbcllished records of the road,
the brief, pointed reports Of the sta
ton agents and train men, sometimes
record in the pigeon holes of the CEN
trail offices, deeds of daring that far
surpass, in every element of the hero
ic, the finest conception of the roman
cist. And yesterday there flashed
over the wires from Red Oak an in
stance of this very kind, wherein
veritablc live engineer commands the
admiration of every one, by the per-
formance of feat which placed his
own life at terrible risk, but saved
that of a child. We CLEAN the incl
dent from the official report.
J. B. Evans, Jack Evans, as he is
better known among "the boys" is a
young man about twenty-cight years
old, and certainly not over thirty, and
a great favOritc among his associates,
a clever, generous-heartcd man. In
his cventful life, before he adopted
railroading for business, he travel
cd with "the circus" and was a star
performer on the flying trapczc.
Doubtless some of the gorgcously
colored poster cuts Of handsome SYM
metrical men, in glove-fitting tights
and small clothes, Sailing through
the air with the greatest Of case,"
were originally executed for Senior
Juan del Evannc, but this has moth
ing to do with our story. Mr.. Evans
quit starring" threw up his engage
ments, and took an engine, but the
physical prowess acquired in his ath-
letic exercises did not desert him and
his skill remained with him. Often
when he is ''laid OUT OH the side
track, he gives the boys impromptu
exhibitions of "life in the ring" with
grace, skill and agility, and fills that
part Of the country SO full Of double
somersaults, hand-springs and flying
leaps that the air has q flavor of cir
Gus about it for month. But the
greatest and noblcst feat our hero cv-
or performed in his life was one that
wasn't down on the bills, and called
out very unexpectedly at little mat:
ince Friday afternoon.
Evans, who is in the employ Of the
c., B. 4 Q. railway, was running an
extra, we believe, on the Red Oak
branch. When about a quarter Of a
mile east of Farragut, the train then
running at the rate of twenty miles
an hour, the engineer saw, hardly sew
enty yards ahead Of him, little child
about eighteen months old, playing
in the middle of the track. Quicker
than thought he squealcd for breaks
and without ever touching the throt-
tie, leaving it wide open, he seized
the lever and threw it clear over, re-
versing his engine with full head
of steam on. But the heavy freight
train had acquired powerful mo-
mentum that could not be overcome,
and by the time, short as it was, that
Evans could hurry around and take
his station Oh the pilot, the engine
was frightfully near the child, who,
apparently unconscious of danger, re-
maincd where it was first discovered.
Evans saw there was no chance of
his STOPPING to seize the child as the
train swept down upon it, from his
place upon the pilot, and now his old
athletic accomplishments and train
ing, seconded by his steady nerve
and GOODNESS, and the ability SO char
actcristic of engine men to think rap
idly and clearly in moments Of great
danger, came in good play. Mcasur-
ing his distance ~ carefully and ac-
cur.ltely as ever he had when making
q mid-air leap from flying tr.spexe;
he summoned al his strength, and