The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-12-26
THE ENGINEERS STORY.

II ENUANGEA = O1Oh Il
LET me put my name down first
can't stay long ?'
1t was a red ribbon meeting. and
the man was locomotive engineer.
bronzed and strong. and having eyes
full OF deep determination. He
signed his name in bold, plain hand,
tied red ribbon in his button hole,
and as he left the hall he said:
"As the Lord looks down upon
me, I'll never touch liquor again p
Have you been hard drinker !"
queried man who walked beside
the engineer.
"No. Fact is, was never drunk
in my life. I've swallowed consid-
erable whisky, but never went far
enough to get drunk.-I shouldn't
miss it or be the worse off for an
hour if all the Intoxicating drink in
the world was drained into the
ocean"
But you seemed eager to sign
the pledge"
So I was. and I'll keep it through
thick and thin, and talk temperance
to every msn on the road"
"You must have strong reasons p
"Well, if you will walk down to
the depot I'll tell you story on the
way. It has not been in the papers,
and only few Of ia know the facts.
You know [ run the night express
on the B-- road We always
have at least two sleepers and a
coach, and sometimes we have as
many as two hundred passengers.
1t is a good road, level as floor and
pretty straight, though there is bad
spot or two. The night express has
the right o'way, and we make fast
time. 1t is no rare thing for US to
skim along at the rate Of fifty miles
an hour for thirty or forty miles, and
we rarely go below thirty. One
night pulled ont Of Detroit with two
sleepers, two coaches, and the bag
gage and mail cars. Nearly all the
berths in both sleepers were full,
and most Of the seats in the coaches
were occupied. 1t was dark night,
threatening all the time to rain, and
a lonesome wind whistled around the
cab as we left the city behind. We
were seventeen minutes late, and
that meant fast time all the way
through"
"Well," he continued, after mo-
ment, everything ran along all right
up to midnight. The track was kept
clear for US, the engine was in good
spirits, and we ran into D
as smooth as you please. The ex-
press coming east would meet us
fifteen miles west of d --, but
the operator at the station had failed
to receive his usual report from be.
low. That was strange, and yet it
was not, and after little consulta-
tion the conductor sent me ahead
We were to keep the main track
while the other train 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 switched in.
When we left D--ue went
ahead at rattling speed, fully be-
lieving that the other train would be
on time. Nine miles from D
is the little village Of Parto. There
is 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 morning, When I
sighted this station I saw a red lam
tern swinging between the rails.
Greatly astonished, pulled up the
heavy train and got bit of news
that nearly lifted me out Of my boots.
1t was Gods mercy as plain as this
big depot. 1t was the operator who
was swinging the lantern. He had
been reused from sleep by the whis-
tie of a locomotive when there wasn't
one within ten miles of him. He
heard the tootl toot tootl while he
was dressing, and all the way as he
ran to the station, thinking he'd been
signaled. Lol there was no train
there. Everything was as quiet as
the grave. The man heard his in
strument clicking away and leaning