Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-03-11
LIFE ON A LOCOMOTIVE.

LIFE ON A LOCOMOTIVE.
Thrilling Experiences of Railroad Engineers
-Braving Death at Sixty Miles an Hour
sad "reminiscences.
From the New York Graphic.
1t is quite a popular idea that because
a man persues dangerous occupation
he must grow so used to the presence
of death as not only to lose his fear Of
it, but eventually to trife with it. Lo-
connective engineers, therefore, are popu-
larry supposed to be, without exception,
a set of reckless, foolhardy, death-de-
flying persons, who have decided upon
a date for smashing their trains, and
are enjoying life meanwhile. Those
few who are acquainted with the men
in question are aware how fallacious
this Inference is. Their avocation 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 are married men, with families to
care for and to love and this RESPONSE
bility, even if they thought nothing of
the passengers in their charge, would
suffice to make them watchful, dillgent,
and careful. Carelessness on their part
is almost inevitably attended with dis
grace and loss of employment, and. in
cases of accidents they rarely escape
injury; SO that, as they are not merely
mechanical figures, it is reasonable to
suppose that they are aware of the risks
they run in the disregard of caution
and care. VIM. Guild, the engineer of
the Shore line train which met with the
Richmond 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 pass
ed, and the loving wife listened in vain
for her husbands greeting. He was
dead The next morning they moved
his stiffened hand from his post, where
he had remained even after death over
took him. Thus he refuted the gener-
al imputation of carelessness upon the
profession, for he was neither reckless
nor Enthusiastically. In the majority of
serious railway disasters the engineers
have been either fatally injured or kill
ed outright; therefore few accidents
where they have escaped would not be
inappropriate.
JUMP FOR LIFE.
In the spring of 1870, when Engineer
Mestayer was running the Philadelphia
express he was occasionally detained at
Trenton, and was obliged to make up
lost time on the latter end Of his trip.
His train made no stops between Tren-
ton and Camden, and such freight or
accommodation trains as might be en-
route in either direction were switched
into tJrnouts, leaving supreme right of
way for the express. One evening when
Mestayer's train had been delayed long
er than usual, the engineer opened the
Unbelievable, and left Trenton at the
rate of thirty-fve miles an hour. A
few miles further on there was switch,
and as his train approached it Mestayer
saw that the signals were all right, "
and that freight train, bound for New
York, was waiting on the switch for him
to pass. When within few rods of
the switch the watchful engineer saw
that it was open, although the signal
light notified him to keep on. He seiz-
ed his lever and used every effort to
bring the train to a stop, but the dis
lance was too short The train left the
main track and dashed down the siding
to the freight" At the last moment
Mestayer sprang from his cab, and,
striking on his feet, witnessed the col
lision. The damage was dreadful.
Both trains were telescoped and several
lives were lost-among them the engin-
eer of the freight train and the fremen
of both engines. Mestayers assistant
was scalded and burnt to a crisp; and
had not the engineer jumped when he
did his fate would doubtless have been
the same.
The engineers of both colliding trains
In more recent disaster on the New
York and Oswego Midland Railway es-
capped death in similar manner. Both
their fremen were killed.
SAVED FROM DISGRACE.
David Van Buskirk, who is now the
master-mechanic of the New York, Bos-
ton and Montreal Railway, tells of an
interesting incident that occurred while
he was an engineer on Western rail
road. He had collided with passen-
ger train, through mismanagemento on
the part CT the engineer of the passen-
ger train, and one or two of the coach
es were smashed and his own engine
injured to great extent. He feared
the displeasure of his superintendent,
and was brooding over his misfortune
as he neared the end of his trip, when
singular opportunity to retrieve his
reputation presented itself. The ''round-
house" in Winona, Mimi, whittier he
was bound, took fire in the roof, and
when Van Buskirk arrived with his en-
CINE he found that the efforts which had
been exerted towards quenching the
flames had been of but little avail, aud
the fire babe fair to burn down the
building and destroy number OF new
engines which We're nearly ready for
service. Without second thought
Van Buskirk ran his engine into the
burning house, and, pulling down the
escape valve with all his strength, let
the steam, at one hundred pounds pres
sure, escape in rushing, screaming
volume, whose force carried it up to
bhe burning roof. The effect was in j
- .tasa.as a.saqs * sa
& #...r o..