Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-07-17
detroit Free prsss.I

lOctIoh Efro AtvE
"Lst me put my name down hrst-I
can't wait long !"
II was o red ribbon meeting, and the
man was n locomotive engineer. bronzsd
and strong. and having eyes full OF deep
dstermiuatiou. He signed his name In
a bold. plain hand. tied . red ribbon in
bis button-hole, and as he left the hall
he said
"As the Lord looks down upon me.
I'll never touch liquor again I"
"Havs ysu been a hard drinksr ?"
qusied the man who walked beside the
engineer.
"No. Fact Is, ] was never drunk in
my life. I've swallowed considerable
whisky, but I never vent far enough 10
get drunk. i shouldn't miss II or be the
worse of for an hour II all the intoxi.
eating drink in the world was drained
into the ocean,"
"But you seemed eager to sign the
pledge"
$50 I was. and I'll keep Il through
thick and thin and talk temperance to
every man on the road!"
"You must have strong reasons 2"
"wsll, II you'll walk down to the
depot I'll tell you q story on tho way.
II hasn't been In the papers. and only y
few Of US know the facts. You knew I
run the night express on the B. road.
We always have At least two slsspsrs
and q coach, and sometimes va have ~
many % two hundred passengers. It's
q good road. level as q door. and pretty
straight, though there Ia q bad spot or
two. The night express has the right'o
way, and we make fast time. It's NO
rare thing for us TO skin along at the
rate Of fifty miles an hour for thirty or
forty miles, and we rarely 90 below
thirty. One night I pulled out Of De.
troit with two slsePers. two coaches. and
the baggage and mail cars. Nearly all
the berths In both sleepsrs were full.
and most OF the seats In the coaches
were occupied. Il was . dark night.
threatening all the time TO rain. aud q
lonesome wind whistlsd around the cab
Ne we left the city behind. We were
seventeen minutes late, and that meant
fast time all the way through"
"wsll." no continued after q moment,
everything ran along oil right up to
midnight. The main track was kept
clear for US, the engine was In good
spirits. and We ran into D. as smooth
as you please. The express coming east
should meet us fifteen milss west OF
D. but the operator at the station
hal failed 10 receive his usual report
from below. That was strange, and yet
Il was not, and after q little consultation
the conductor sent me ahead. We were
10 keep the main track. while the other
train would run In oil the sids-track.
Night after night our time had been so
close that Wa did not keep them waiting
over two minutes, and were generally In
sight when they switched in.
When ws left D. w went aheal al n
rattling speed. fully believing that tho
other train would be on time. Nine
miles from D Is tho little village Of
Parto. There is u telegraphic station
there. but tho operator has no night
work. lie closed his Office aud went
home about . o'clock. aud any messages
on the wires for him were held above or
below until neIt morning. When ]
| sighted this station | saw q red lantern
swinging between the rails. Greatly
Astonished. I pulled up the heavy train.
and got n bit Of news that almost lifted
me out Of my boots. II was Gods
mercy. as plain as this big depot. It
was the operator who was swinging tho
lantern. He had beau aroused from
sleep by the. whistles Of q locomotive.
when there wasn't ons within ton miles
OF him. lie hsarl the toot! toot! toot!
while he was dressing and all the way IN
hs ran to the station. thinking he had
been signaled Lo! there was no train
there. Everything WIS M quiet M the
grave. The man heard his instrument
clicking away. and leaning his car
against the window. he caught these
words as they went through 10 D.:
'For Coils sake. switch Eastern ex.
press of quick! Engineer on Western
crazy drank, aud running n mile a min
ute!'
THE operator signaled us at Oncs.
We had left D. nine miles away. aud
the message couldn't have caught MS
anywhere except at Parto. Six miles
further down was the long switch. It
was time We were there lacking one min-
ute. We lost two or three minutes In
understanding the situation and In con.
sulting. and had just got ready 10 switch
in where we were when the headlight Of
the other train came into view. Great
heavens! but how that train was flying.
The bell was ringing, sparks flying and
the whistle screaming. aud not a man Of
us could raise a hand. We stood there
on the main truck spell. bound as IL
were. There wouldn't have been time.
anyhow. either 10 switch in or get the
passengers out. II wasn't over sixty
seconds before that train was upon us.
| prayed 10 God for u breath or two aud
then shut my eyes and waited for death.
for ! hadn't the strength TO get out Of
tho cab.
swell. sir. Gods mercy was revealed
again. Forty rods above us that loco.
motive jumped the track and was piled
into the ditch in an awful mass. Some
Of the coaches wsre considerably
smashed. and some OF the people badly
bruised. bat no ono was killed, aud oi
course trim escaped entirely. Satan
must have cared for Big Tom. the other
engineer. Ho didn't get q bruise. but
was up and across the field like q deer.
screaming and shrieking like q mad
tiger. II took Ave men to bind him
after he was run down. and to-day he Ii
the worst lunatic in the state"
"Tom was q good fellow" continued
the engineer. after q pause. land he
used 10 take his glass pretty regularly.
I mover saw him drunk. but liquor kept
working away Oil his nerves I'LL at last
the trenens caught him when no had q
hundred and Atty lives behind his en-.
CINE. He broke out NIL Of q su lden.
The fireman was thrown or the engine,
all steam turned on, and then Tom
danced and screamed and carried on like
q tisnd. He'd have made awful work,
sir. but for Gods mercy. I'm trembling
yet over the way he came down for us.
and I'll never think Of IL without my
heart jumping for my throat. Nobody
asked mo to sign tho pledge. but j
wanted my name there. One such night
on the road has turned me against intoI.
icating drinks. and how that I've got
III A. IT,