St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-07-06
The Brakeman's Story.

stood by the stove warming his numb
ed hands, after coming in from braking,
''PeOple think as they sit here i'll their
warm seats, and only hear us call out
the different stations, that we have Il
nice, soft, easy time. But we know
better. Imagine yourself out on fiat
car all night with the snow dashing in
to your face, your hands on a cold iron
brake, and think if that's easy or up
on the top of freight car running
along, the wind cutting like Il knife,
dark as pitch, and watching for fear
you may rush suddenly under bridge
and be swept off and perhaps left to
die in the snow. Is that easy Does
that look like IA soft job To be sure
when we are transferred to passenger
cars, the work is nice enough, but the
dangers we have to 90 through, (for
generally we have to go on freight cars
tirst) entities us to something better Oh
passenger car, and we amt sorry
when we get orders to take the head
end of such Il regular train.
There are very few brakemen who
can't tell some neVer-tO be-forgOtton
incidents connected with their life on
the rail. TO explain, let me tell you II
story of my experience. l remember
one night, it was fearful cold, right in
the middle of winter and showing hard,
and | was brakeman in the middle of
a freight train. 1t WAS running along
Oh slow time that night and, we
were two or three miles from the sta
ton. | was standing by the brake of
Il flat car trying to get warm by stamp
Il -f,1,a h.f l...
depot, so that could get back to the
caboose out of the cold, when sudden
ly | felt the train humping and jump
ing us if Il wheel had broken, and
knew something was wrong. The
whistle flew for brakes, and in Il mighty
short time we had the train stopped.
"With the rest of the men | went
to see what was the matter, thinking
might get chance at the stove, fOr |
was nearly frozen. Going back foi
about three hundred feet we found that
one of the rails had got loose and was
out of place, but us we had been going
slow, we had run over the spot safely
"Jim, 90 back and signal the passen-
ger train, said our conductor looking
up aud seeing me. She will be along
in a short time now > and take this he
said, handing me a red light lantern
'We'll 90 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.
IA cold gust brought me to myself
with a quick turn, and then | remem-
bered what had to do. Holding the
lantern up L saw the light was flicker
ing, and shaking it | found that it wa,
almost empty. Then l began to fee
the responsibility of my position. A
lamp without oil in it, the train due in
ten minutes, with the chances of it be-
ing thrown off the track and NJ
telling how many people killed o.
wounded In cases of this kind every
brakeman will do his best to save hu
man life, although he sometimes lose
his own in the attempt, and all he get
for it is having his name in the pape
and being a brave fellow.
"Quicker than / tell it l made up my
mind that the train must be signalled
lamp or no lamp. But how to do
was the question. If l ran ahead with
out a light, the engineer might think
wanted to stop the train for robbery
for such things have often been done
you knew-and would dash on taste
than ever, and maybe scald me as tn
locomotive rushed by. l tell you
felt like praying just then; but brake
men are not selected for their religion
feelings, and so l don't pray ver
much, but ] looked around and saw
light shining in window some dis
tance off I laid nv lantern CAREFUL
on the track, made bee line for tn
house, and soon my knock brought
woman to the door, who locked NOR
frightened than | was at my ex
cited appearance. 1t was useless t.
ask her for sperm oil, the kind we used
so L cried out:
For Gods sake, give me som
straw =
"She seemed to realize the position
and quickly brought bundle. Fee
in my pocket, found three matche
and grabbing the straw, l made m
way back to the track.
, ''Laying the straw between the rails
| struck match and showed it into tn
bundle. 1t f1ickered moment an
then went out. l felt and found tha
r the straw was damp. Just then du
faint, rumbling sound came down o
the wind, and l knew she was con
ing-the train would soon be there.
, s.I struck the second match, and
| set the straw on fire. A blaze,
t little smoke and all was dark again, an
raising my eyes, saw the headlight (
the approaching train away in the dii
tance. But trains don't crawl, and til