The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1877-03-23
Ase,,ts for she RcgIster.
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= zAkESNSAS7S SAOEk4s
ayes, sir,'' said the brakeSnan, as he.
stood by the stove warming his numbed
hands after coming IN from braking.
esPeople think, as they sit here on their |
warm seats, and only hear as call out |
thesdillefent stations, that we have /
nice, soft, easy time. But we know
better. Imagine yourself out on HAT
car. all night. with the snow dasbmg
into your face, your hands on a cold |
iron brake, and think if that's easy; or |
npon top Of freight car, running along, |
the wind cutting like knife, dark as
pitch, and watching for fear you may |
rush suddenly under q bridge and be |
swept off, and perhaps left to die in the
snow. Is that easy Does that look |
like soft job I? To be sure, when we
are transferred to passenger cars the
work is nice enough, but the dangers
we have to 90 through (f,r generally
we, have to go on freight cars tirstl enti-
ties as for something better on a pas
sepger car, and we ANT sorry when we
GET orders TO take tie head end of such
a regular train.
terhere are very few brakemen who
can't tell some -to-be-forgotten in
cidert connected with their life on the
rail. To explain, let me tell you
story OF my own experience. I reIaem-
Der one night, it was fearfully cold,
right III the middle Of winter, and
showing hard, I was brakeman in the
middle of freight train. 1t was run
ming along on slow time that night and
we were two or three miles from the
station. I was standing by the brake OF
a tiatscaT, trying to get warm by stamp
ing, wishing we were at the depot, so l
could. 90 back to the caboose ont of the
bitter cold, when Suddenly | felt the
train humping and jumping as if a
wheel had broken, aud knew some
thing was wrong. The whistle blew
for brakes, and in mighty short time we
had the train stopped.
xsNYitll Che rest of the men, went
back to see what was the matter, think
ING that I might get a chance at the
stove, for was nearly frozen. Going
back about three hundred feet, we found
that one of the rails had got loose and
was out of place, but, as we had been
going slow, we had run over the spot
safely. Our conductor looked up, aud,
seeing me, said /:
Jim, get back and signal the pas
scnner train. She will be along in no
time, now aud take this he said,
handing me a red-light lantern; swe'll
go-on. You can can come along with
the. other train
ss4Yith that AL hands got on board,
and soon there was nothing but myself
and the lantern left.
ssA cold gust brought me to myself
witlra quick turn, and then | remenl
bered what L had to do. Holding the
lantern sull, / saw the light was flicker
isg.and shaking III, found it qalmos
eulply, Then / began to feel the re
spopsibilily of my position. A LAM
without oil in il, the train due in tel
minutes with the chances Of its bein!
thrown off che track, and no tellin'
how many people killed or wounded
In a case of this kind, sir, every brakes
man viii do his best to save human life
although lie sometimes loses bis own i
the attempt, and all that he gets for
IS having lis, name in the paper an
being 4 brave fellow.
ssQuicker than ten il. / made up N
mind that the train must be signaled
lamp or no lamp. But how to do j
was the question. If I ran ahead witt
out a light the engineer might think
wanted to stop the train for robbery
for such things have often been don,
you know,-and would not only das
li1ht on faster than ever, and mayt
Try 10 scald me asfhe 1ocomotIYe rushe
by. / tel You I felt like praying ju
then; but brakesinen are not selected Il
their religious feelings, 90 didn't pra
much, but looked around and saw
light Shining III window some distar'
of. laid down my lantern careful
on the track, made = bee line for Il
heaae, and soon my knock brought
woman to the door, who looked nO
frightened than was at my excitl
appearance. It was useless TO ask t
sperm oiI-the only kind we use-sc
cried out s.
For Gods sake give me some straw
ssShe seemed to realize tie posiEie
and quickly brought bundle. Fe
iBg is my pocket, I found three match
and, grabbing the straw, T made /
way back to the track. sst
ssEsying the straw between the raj
IstFuck match and showed it into
bundle.a It fickered an instant a
then went ont. I felt and found
GsEaw damp ze4gs ~.
M ust then a dull faint, rumbli
eNand rams down on the wind ,.ant
knew she was coming he train WoI
soon be tl4eFe. saaa Fa
egsK struck thesseoond match, and
touched off the straw. a blaze, 81
tie smoke, and it was dark again, al
rsit1sy nv ewes. Il saw the head light
the approaching train away in the 9
tance. But trains don't crawl, and