Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-05-26
AN EAST INDIAN RAILWAY
STORY.

STORY.
The European railway employees in
India are greatly opposed to the employ
ment of native Indians or those of mixed
blood (Eurasians) as engine drivers, fire.
men, shunters, ETC., and their organ, the
Indian RaHe0ay Servtce Gazette, is full
of arguments TO prove that it is danger
Gus to put any but Europeans on railway
duty. The following apparently some
what imaginative story is from the paper
referred to:
At refreshment room at station on q
we'll known Indfn railway in the East
Indies, two gentlemen sat at breakfast
the one was the Locomotive Superintend.
cnt of the line, the other the Chief
Justice of Calcutta. They were travelling
by the up slow passenger train drawn up
at the station. The Chief Justice ad.
dressed the Locomotive e-Superintendent
as follows: II hear we are to have q
native driver for the next length do you
consider it safe to run native drivers will
passenger trains, or for that matter, ever
goods trains ~ The official replied in d
broad Scottish accent, Nae, nae, dinna
fear, the native driver will do muckc
weel and carry you along safe and sound
" But" said the Chief Justice, If any
thing should go wrong with the machin-
cry ?" "Oh, dinna fear, hae speered
with the mon myself, and if he is bam-
foozled by the breaking Of ony of the
GIN cracks Of the enginc,I have told him
to stop the train and III go on the engine
my ain sel and put all straight so d;nna
be flashed" Somewhat treasured, as the
bell rang for the last time, the Chief
Justice seated himself in his carriage,
the Locomotive Superintendent entered
his luxurious travelling saloon, and the
train passed out Of the station.
The native driver, Ramjan, was a fan
attic Of the worst type he had long envied
the eass0s inators Of Chief Justice Norman
and Earl Mayo, and longed for an oppor-
tunity to follow in their footsteps. AZ
last b light idea struck him-he became
n fireman OH the railway, and being par.
tcularly obsequious TO the locomot! We
foreman, was speedily promoted to the
rank Of driver, and how lie was in
charge of passenger train in which he
had ascertaned was real live Chiei
Justice, to say nothing of Locomotive
Superintendent.
Night drew on, and Ramjan had piled
his native fireman freely with arrack and
bhang, until he was quite stupefed, and
sat dreamily staring at the coal heap,
Ramjan himself heaping up coal in the
fire-box, and putting on full pressure OF
steam. At the next station, the train
was booked topass the down mail. Ram
jan had ascertained through the wire, by
some Of his 6hdis in the telegraph office,
that in the down mail was a Lieutenant
Governor and some other high officials.
He took n good pull at the arrack bottle
himself and instead Of drawing up at the
station, steamed past it ut full speed.
The mail had left and Ramjan was in
high spirits at the prospect Of collision
and speedy passport to Paradise. But
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Gang AT agloe.'
In the third class compartment, for
Europeans only, sat EuropeaH who had
hnan an an oiuo drivar an tL. -. Tina.
who had been lately been discharged on
account Of reduction of establishment.
lie had been i'll, and bad wife and chill
dren Mt home depending on him, aud wa.
travelling in search Of employment. He
knew every inch Of the road, and knew
that the train was booked to pass the mai
at the station they had just passed. lie
opened the carriage door, stepped on tc
the foot board and scrambled along unit
he reached the engine. lie had no sooner
put his foot on it than both the native dri-
yer and fireman seized hold of him and
nm! attempted to hurl him off. Weak
ened by long illness and poverty he nearly
suceumbed In the struggle which ensued
but his British blood was now up, and
lie at last succeeded in finging the native
fireman off the engine, and sezing the
hummer, used for breaking Jumps of coal
he struck the driver such blow that he
lay senseless.
There was no time to be lost--he could
already see the lights Of the approaching
mail train, and lie quickly reversed the
lever. There was a crash But as botl
trains were now going in the same drec-
ton, the headlights were smashed, but
no other damage was done, and botl
trains steamed into the station uninjured
The Chief Justice has been heard t.
say he will not travel any more in trair
driven by native. And the Locomotive
Superintendent is not so loud in hi,
praises Of native drivers as before.