Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-05
A CLOSE SHAVE.
How Engineer O'N1eI Tossed FOur
Horses Down the bank and saved
Hts Train.


H0rses Down the bank and saved
HiS Train.
From the Muscatine Tribune.
81 reckon you've hearn tell of
jim 0'Niel, what was 'sassinated
down at Bloomington the other
night?" remarked Jack Reynolds to
a reporter on Saturday. The latter
acknowledged that he had heard a
good deal lately about the man re-
ferred to. Jack Reynolds does the
Stoking on one of the largest loco
motives on the Chicago and Alton
railroad.
"Just wait till l toss in a couple
Of shovelfuls, cause times nearly
up, and We'll be off soon, and ri
tell you something about Jim, !"
said the fireman, as he pitched some
chunks of coal into the roaring
furnace. "They don't make better
engineers" he continued, ethan
what Jim 0'Niel was, You. see,
you folks that ride back there in
the fine coaches, and play poker and
read newspapers, and only look out
when halt is made, and COM
mence readin' and playin' agin
when the train darts away agin
with a shrek, a roar and a rattle;
You folks, | say, don't know what
danger is, No, sir. Just You come
ahead here where Jim 0'Niel stood
for eighteen years, and I'll bet your
back will raise up sometimes. But
Jim didn't mind it much. lie was
the coolest and most brayest man
what ever / see in my life. He acted
all the while just like he was ready
to die any minute. And, do you
know, he would take to his engine
just like a man would take to q
woman. He would pet her, and
say sweet, sympathizin' things tC
her. When she was leaning out hel
level best, rqpnin' maybe forty
miles an hour, Jim would look her
all over kind Of affectiopately and
say 10 himself, with a shake Of the
head, 'Shc amt we'll to. day; | don't
know what ails her, but she ain't
feedin' jHst right"
| @Q'Niel hal 6 great many mar
Fow escapes, did he pot :" inter
rupted The reporter.
"You are right. no had" replied
Jack, "and the half Of them AIM
been told about in the newspapers,
jim always know'd when anything
was goia' TO happen. Once he had
nine cars and q big lot of people,
and he was ruhnin' to make az lost
time. it was just afore dark, and,
takin' his eye from off the track,
Jim turned to me and Gays he
"There's trouble ahead feel il
| in my bones" At first / kinder
suspected he was tFyig' to frighteu
ME, but after q bit he said TO me
'D-n il, I wish | could look
around the big curve and see if the
bridge is all right Fhat seaFel
me MORN ever | noticed that jim
had his eye right down on the rail
J but it was gettiS' SO dark that he
} couldn't see far. The old locomo
tive was Just putin in her besi
licks, and presently we shot through
the deep cut and out on the higf
film that run to the bridge, Al
: we made the curve at the mouth 0.
the cut right there in front of us
and not more'n two hundred fee
} away, was four horses that was run
MIN their best down the grade to
ward the bridge. | felt my hear
thump against the roof of m,
: mouth. II Jim hadn't looked 81
cool guess I'd have tossed mysel
right through the window, but
thought I'd stay as long as jim
did. He took in the chance at
glance. lie knowed if them horse
ever got TO thai bridge they'd tum
! Bile down 'twixt the stringers, ant
when we struck 'em we'd jump tn
track, and go through the bridg
5 into the river, and God only know
whether anybody OF them hundred
G of people would have lived to tel
r what I'm tellin' now. SO, quick a
| a flash for with a locomotive run
5 ming forty miles an hour you mus
/ do your lipurin' in n hurrv-Jiu