Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-05-11
An Engineers Life.
A Story Which Startled an Ar
kansas Clergyman A
Sad Event.
(From the New York Times.)

iOOlutHulh FdiITOhu, is. uH Olu dnC
experienced engineer, having fol
lowed the profession nearly all his
life. He is a man who has grown
gray in the service of railroad
companies, most Of his time hav.
ing been spent in Minnesota and
the far West, where he was EN-.
ployed on several different roads
He was the first engineer that ev.
eI run a locomotivewestol Of the Mis-
sissippi, and is the one who, with
indomitable courage apd great
presence Of mind, run a locomo
tive into the burning freight de.
pot at Winona, Mimi, and by o.
peniHgA the safety-valve allowed
the steam TO escape with such
force that 1t put the flames out
and saved the large structure. -
This act Of heroism was heralded
far and wide by the newspapers Of
the country, and Van Buskirk
was given unbounded praise eve.
rywhere. A few other incidents
! in the life of Mr.. Buskiik, which
occurred in the West several years
ago, are of interest," Mr.. Van
Buskirk had been upon the road
some FIVE or six years, and during
one month Of that time his train
killed iour persons, OF as many dif,
ferent times and in various ways.
The 6rst Of the four victims was
q farmer, who had left his team
standing in the Geld where he
was engaged blowing, and ran a.
cross the track TO get drink OF
water. Hearing the train thund
ering along, he started to return
to his team and lost bis lie. de
| jumped scross the track, gust es
Gaping the point Of the pilot, bat
was struck by part of the engine
frame and was killed. The train
was brought to a stand still, and
the unfortunate farmer picked up
and carried to HE home few rods
distant. Upon examination it
was found that his back was bro
ken. Returning to the train, the
railroad men discovered that the
team, which the farmer wanted
tc save, had not moved FROM the
spot where be LETT them. The
second man killed that month fell
under the wheels while the traiA
was in motion. He attempted to
get on the train, slipped and fell,
and was crushed to an indescriba
bic mass of flesh aud bones. The
killing of the third nan aroused
the deepest feelings Of sorrow in
the engineers breast. The nan
was q poor farmer wko was stand.
ing at a distant crossing with his
team, apparently waiting Tor the
train to &c by. Ghe engineer OBJ
served him, and, thinking thG&
that was his object, an occurreoee
frequently noticed by engineers,
steam was not shut eff, and the
train few along at lightning
speed. Had the farmer remained
where he was the train would
have passed without touching him,
but for some caysterious and un.
explained reason he whipped up
his team just as the train ap-
preached, and the man and the
tive horses were struck and killed.
The man was alsocut into shape
less mass.
The fourth person killed was a
passenger who, at one of the sta
tions where the train stopped, got
off the train and ran across the
track to a saloon to get q drink.
Before be returned the train had
started. Mr.. Van Buskirk saw
the man coming, but as it was
wet and the rails very slippery,
and he had a hard time to get the
train under headway, be did not
shut off steam but kept cn. The
man caught the train and grabbed
hold of the hand railing, running
along with the car. 1t was the
forward end of the rear coach, but
he could not manage to lift him
self upon TIE platform. He held
fast until be run into a Wood-pile
beside the track, which loosened
his grasp of the railing and threw
him under the wheels. The man
was killed instantly. The acci-
: dent occurred eight days after the
third man was killed, aud made
four for that month,
Strange as it may appear, but a
few days passed in the following
month until Mr.. Van Buskirk's
train again commenced it's deadly
work. At gathering one eve
ming in the hotel where the engi-
neer boarded, and after the fourth
accident had occurred, be was ad
dressed by an individual wbo