Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-12
naiIp 5lennrbrt 9omnd.
THE EyGIyEER's STORY.
1CoxoLrDED FROM YESTERDAY. !


and Bill Walker was to take my train goin'
back. We started from Altoona late in
the evening and good deal behind. 1t
had been a bad day. The weather had
been warm for some time back. and it be-
gan 10 rain in the norma. and he'd rained
e all nday. BY night the wind chopped
around to the North, N 1t it began to turn
cold, SO that wen we started it was rainin
and sleelin' with an outlook for a heavy
storm. A darker night | never saw, N
wen the conductor pulled the bell | SEES TO
my fireman, Crazy. this is goin' to be an
ugly rum" My fireman was a wild. bar.
um-scarum sort OF boy. and so they had
nick-named him Crazy Jake" But they
soon dropped the Jake m left him Crazy,
and thet's the name he alters went by.
So he ses to me, Boss | guess you're
right there" Crazy was one o them boys
that never finch in desperate tight places.
I've never seen 'im show the white teath-
er. / don't believe man or devil could
scare i'm, but this night he seemed to be
sorter uneasy like.
Sometimes there's something makes you
think beforehand that something is goin'
to happen-a kind oi--of-presentiment
g Yes that's it. Presentimen'. You can t
tell exactly how it is. but II there is sper-
rits in accidents or disasters, seems like
they was tryin' some way to let folks know
in time, and couldn't quite do it. Every
thing seemed to 60 wrong with us that
night. The passengers was all a-growlln
cos we hurried 'em up at supper; and
wen l pulled out. my machine had the
very old boy in her. No. 29, as | was
telkn' We, was one of the surest engines
on the road, but when she did git into her
didos she was more obstreperous n gov
eminent mule. Ingines is like these sew
in machines or planners, and them things.
They git out O. kilter without no reason,
and yer can't tell what's the matter with
EN-. only they jest won't and that's all
there is about it. She wouldn't steam,
she fretted and snorted and foamed, and
wouldn't do her work no ways at all. Me
and Crazy fused with her, and worked
with her, and coaxed and cussed her, but
it wasn't no use. We kept runnin behind
all the time instead of maxim up, n the
conductor swore like pirate. He was a
engineer hisself, and be came out into the
cab and for FIVE or ten miles he fused and
worked and coaxed and cussed. believe
that engine knew just as well that Satan
was out loose that night as if she'd been n
can't give no reason for it, but they jest
know it is so.
Mebbe we'd made thirty mile, or SIGH
matter. The rain and sleet and hail and
snow was comm down fearful. The
water was pourn' down the mountains
and film, the bitches and runnin' much as
you saw it last night. The wind was
blowln' tornado, and come tearin'
Ia ft.nv 1ffha haU 'at1l
in this eountry-iH gusts that would strike
the locomotive like big wave striking a
ship, and almost throw her over. 1t was
so dark, too, that couldn't hev seen Cra-
~ on the other side OF the cab but for the
lantern, and wen he opened the furnace
door, But had to get along all could.
II wouldn't do to slow up as | was runnin
for a meetin' point.
just before you get to the curve at Dew
IFS Run there's a short stretch of straight
track. Soon as / struck that l began to
look for the light in Charley's wiadow,
which was the other side of the run.
Strainin' my eyes through the dark just al
the point OF the curve Isaw light swing
ing backward and forward slowly acros.
the track. You know / was a-tellin' you
as everything went crooked that night
Soon as | saw that | knew what it all was
in mint. 1t came on me with a rush,
like. My hair stood on end. i blew
brakes, screams to the fireman: "Cra-
zy! Devils Run culvert's gone, by the
Twin God" He jumped N sot on the ten
der brakes, end slid the wheels in flash
The brakesmen behind didu't answer.
They was dozin' in the cars. | reckon. |
blew brakes agin with blast to wake the
dead. and threw her over. The drivers
ground and groaned under me, but the
rails were sleety and slippery, and | was
forging ahead to q gulf 500 feet square
down, and $50 human lives behind me
was tellin' We as No 20 that night was
dead square ag'in gon' ahead; but wen
threw her back seems like she knew her
biz and how much laid on her don' OF 1t
well. Women, agin, is ingines. Grabbed
crooked, cantankerous cusses when they
don't want to, but where IFS works OF
goodness or mercy, call on em and they
are right there. No. 20 took hold on that
reverse with grit | never see in no en-
CINE afore. She put all there was in her
Into every turn, and the whole affair took
less time than I'm a tellin' of it ill the
danger was by.
When we stopped within twenty feet of
tue Ilght. which was swingin' still, back
ward and forward, slowly across the
track, | SEE to Crazy, "Who's got that
lantern?" | knew it couldn't be the
trackman, for we'd just met him three
miles below, and 'cept him, there was
nobody nearer'n ten miles at that time of
night. So | gets down from the machine
and runs up the road. AS comes up,
sees little figure in white. 1t was still
swingin' OF the light. backwards and
forwards, slowly across the track. He
was IN his night-gown, just as he got out
OF bed, hadn't no hat, and was barefoot.
The sieet had froze in his hair and his
nlght-gown was stiff with ice. / comes
up TO 'im--well, | was took that way
couldn't speak. An he KEEP swingin the
light, backwards and forwards, slowly
across the track, and he SEE to me, he
seq, GU and me is par,l's, isn't weP''
looks at i'm, a mint. His eyes was open
and looked queer. He was dead last
asleep Crazy ketches me or I'd gone
over, which it were my knees seemed
weak ike. Then | sets down on the
rail and Crazy picks up the chile, hug
GIN OF i'm up, and busted right out a
cryin' he did.
he