Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-08-18

pledge"
$50 was, and Ill keep it through
thick and thin, and talk temperance
to every man ON the road"
"You must have strong reasons ~
"Well, if you'll walk down to the de-
pot I'll tell you q story on the way 1t
hasn't been in the papers yet, and only q
few of US know the facts. You know l
run the night express on the b road.
We always have atleast two sleepers and
a coach, and sometimes we have as many
as two hundred passengers. It's good
road, level as q floor, ..and pretty straight,
though there is a bad spot or two. The
night express has the right O way, and
we mako fast time. It's no rare thing
| for us to skim along at the rate of fifty
| and we rarely go below thirty. One
night pulled ont of Detroit with two
sleepers, two coaches, and the baggage
and mail cars. Nearly all the berths in
| botl sleepers were full, and most of the
seats in the coaches were occupied. 1t
| was a dark night, threatening all the
time to rain, and q lonesome wind whis-
tied around the cab as we left tho city
behind. We were seventeen minutes
| late. and that meant fast time all tho way
through.
| MWell," he continued after moment,
Everything ran along all right up to
midnight The main track was kept
clear for us; the engine was in good spir-
| ifs. and we ran into D-as smooth as you
please. The express coming east should
meet us fifteen miles west of D., but
the operator at that station had failed to
receive his usual report from below. That
was strange, and yet it was not, and at
ter a little consultation the conductor
sent me ahead. We were to keep the
main track, while the other would run
| in on the side track. Night after night
our time had been SO close that we did not
keep them waiting over two minutes, and
were generally in sight when they switch
ed in.
nWhen we left D. we went ahead at
a rafting speed, fully believing that the
other train would be on time. Nine miles
from D. is the little village of Parto.
There is a telegraph station there, but
the operator has no night work. He
closed his office and went home about
nine o'clock, and any messages on the
wires for him were held above or below
until next morning. When I sighted
this station saw q red lantern swinging
between the rails. Greatly astonished,
pulled up the heavy train and got bit
Of news that almost lifted me out of my
boots. 1t was Gods mercy, as plain
as this big depot. It was the operator
who was swinging the lantern. He had
been reused from sleep by the whistle OF
O. locomotive, when there wasn't one
within ten miles of him. He heard the
toot! toot! toot! while he was dressing
and all the way as he ran to the station
thinking he had been singnaled- Lo
there was no train there Everything
was as quiet as the grave The mai
heard his instrument clicking away, ant
leaning bis ear against the window III
| caught these words as they went through
to D.:
"For Gods sake, switch the Easter
express oft quick! Engineer on the Yves
tern express crazy drunk, and running
| mile minute"
"The operator signaled at US at once
We Lad left D. nine miles away, an
the message couldn't have caught US any
where except at Parto. Six miles furth
er down was the long switch. 1t wa
time we v ere there, lacking one minute
We lost two or three minutes in under
standing the situation and in consulting
and had just got ready to switch in whe1
we were when the headlight of the othe
train came in view. Great Heavens! bu
how that train was flying. The bell wa
ringing, sparks flying and the whist
screaming, and not q man OF us coul
raise a hand. We stood there on til
main track, spell-bound as it were. The1
wouldn't have been time. anyhow, eitl
/ er to have switched in or got the passel
gers out. 1t wasn't over sixty SECOND
before that train was upon lis. praye
to God for breath or two and then sht
my eyes and waited for death, for hadn
the strength to get out Of the cab.
"Wcll, sir, Gods mercy was reveale
again. Forty rods above us that LOGON
tive jumped the track and was piled int
the ditch in all awful mass. Some of tt
coaches were considerably smashed, al
some of the people badly bruised, but I
one was killed, and of course our ira
L escaped entirely. Satan must have care
for Big Tom, the other engineer. I
he didn't get bruise, but was up and aero