The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-01-18
NUMBER 3S
The Brakeman's Story.

stood by the stove warming his numbe'
hands, after coming in from braking
people think, as they sit in their warn
seats and only hear us call out the differ
ent stations, that we have a nice, soft
easy time. But we know better. Imagin,
yourself out on fiat car all night, will
the snow dashing into your face, you
hands on cold iron brake, and think i
that's easy, or up on top of freight car
running along, the wind cutting like &
kniie, dark as pitch, and watching fol
fear you may rush suddenly under {
bridge and be swept of, and perhaps bt
left to die in the snow. Is that easy
Does that look like soft job? To bt
sure, when we are transferred TO passen
ger cars it is nice enough, but the dangers
we have to go through (for we generally
have to 20 on freight cars 6rst), entitle
us to something better on passenger car,
and we amt sorry when we get orders to
take the head of such regular train.
"There are very few brakemen but
can tell some never.tO-be-fOrgOtten incl
dent connected with their life on the
rail. To explain, let me tell you story
from my own experience. / remember
one night, it was fearfully cold, right in
the middle of winter and showing hard.
l was braking in the middle of freight
train. 1t was running along on slow
time that night, and we were about two
or three miles from the station. was
standing by the brake of fiat car trying
to get warm by stamping, wishing that we
were in the depot, SO that l could 60
back to the cabOOse out of the bitter
cold, when suddenly l felt the train
humping and jumping like as il wheel
had broken, and knew something was
wrong. The whistle blew for brakes,
and in mighty short time we had the
train stopped.
"With the rest of the men / went
back to see what was tue matter, think
ing that l might get chance at the
stove, for l was nearly frozen. Going
back about three hundred feet, we found
one of the rails had got loose and was
out of place, but, as we had been going
slowly, we had run over the spot safely.
Our conductor looked up, and seeing
me, said:
"Jim, get back and:signal the passcn-
ger train. She will be along in short
time now; and take this he said,
me red-light lantern; we'll
60 on. You can come along with the
other train
With that all hands got on board,
and soon there was nothing but myself
and the lantern left.
GA cold gust brought me to myself
with quick turn, and then 1 remem-
bered what / had to do. Holding the
lantern up / saw that the light was
Pickering, and shaking it found it almost
empty. Then began 10 feel the respon-
sibility of my position the lamp with
no oil il it, the train due in ten minutes
with the chances of it being thrown off
the track, and no telling how many poor
people killed or wounded. In case of
that kind, sir, even brakeman will do
his best to save human life, although he
sometimes loses his own in the at
tempt; and all he gets for it is having
his name in the paper and being called
a brave fellow.
"Quicker than I can tell, l made up
my mind that the train must be sig
nailed, lamp or no lamp. But how to do
it was the question. If ran ahead
without light the engineer might think
wanted to stop the train for robbery,
for such things have been done, you
know, and would not only dash right on
faster than before but (may be) try to
scald me as the locomotive rushed by. l
tell you l felt like praying just then:
but brakemen are not selected for their
religious feelings, go didn't pray much
but looked around and saw light shin
ing in window some distance of. i
laid down my lantern carefully on the
track, made bee line for the house, and
soon brought a woman to the door, who
looked more frightened than was, at
my excited appearance. 1t was useless
10 ask for sperm oil (the only sort we
use), so cried out:
" For Gods sake get me some straw
"She seemed to realize the position,
and quickly brought bundle. Feeling
in my pocket, | found three matches,
and grabbing she straw made my way
back to the tack.
Laying the straw between the rails,
l struck match ard showed it into the
bundle. 1t fickered an instant, and
then went out. felt and found the straw
damp.
"Just then dull faint rumbling sound
came down OH the wind, and / knew she
was coming; the train would soon be
there.
81 struck the second match and
touched of the straw-a blaze, a little
smoke, and it was dark again, and raising
my eyes l saw the headlight away in the
distance. But trains don't crawl, and a
buzzing along the rail told me to be
lively. The red light was burning but
family; five minutes more aud it would
go out. For an instant stood paraly zed
when a shrill whistle from the engine
brought me to my senses, and saw tina,
inside of two minutes she would bt
there.
Selling the lantern with one hand
struck the last match, and bending dowI
laid it carefully inside the straw ant
then dashed forward, waving the req
light. The glare from the headligh
shown down the track and the enginee
saw me, but did not notice the red ligh
the sudden waving had put it out
only screeching, he came straight on
When the train was almost upon me
jumped one side, and singing the lanterl
over my head dashed it straight into th
cab. The engineer saw the lamp as i
broke on the floor, and seeing the ret
glass and battered lantern whistled tn
danger signal and tried to check up. =.
Looking down the track almos
screamed from excitement. The las
match had found dry spot, and tn
straw was blazing up brightly. The trail
came to a standstill. She was saved
that's all l remember.
"The next l knew was in the bag
gage car. They said they had found M
lying by the train in dead faint, and
excuse me, we are going to stop now."
StamfordP % he sung out. The trail
stopped, and the writer went home, sa,
isfied that brakeman's life is an excit
ing one.
The Rev. Stephen Jackson, Presby
terian missionary, whose district reache
from British America to Old Mexico, ha
IL - L..