The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-09-17
WRECKING AN ENGINE.
by OPERATOR.

After all, we way station operators are
not without our little bit of romance &C.
casionally. and think I can show that
we are not entirely without certain
amount Of responsibility; but It is sell
dom II ever recognized, unless one of our
number by carelessness suddenly plunges
train into destruction 10y failing to de-
liver or understand orders.
The time of which I write was one
pleasant afternoon in early autumn, the
twenty -second day Of September, 1876,
and as the occurrence has made deep
and vivid impressio on my mind, L can
not forget the day, which was Friday.
At that time had been all agent and
operator on the - r. r. little over
two months. The line was directly
through parts of Indiana and Illinois,
and some of the stations had no telegraph
Office, consequently the ordc. distance
was somewhat lengthy; and there was but
one office between mine and Co ~ ans,
twelve miles west. 80 i. G:(&
On this day l was quietly putting my
meerschaum IN the large bay window of
my office, and wishing tor something to
relieve the montony, when the operator
at Cowans called the train dispatcher,
and said an engine. had sprung her throt-
tie with one hundred and forty pounds of
steam, and gone east, while the fireman
had gone to lunch, ana the engineer,
who was oiling around, had no time tc
get on. =" .'' 5... II
All was as still as death for minute,
when the dispatcher began to call e., the
only office between mine and Cowans {;
for fu ly five minutes he called him, us
ing the signal $685." which means death,
but still no answer, and still the monot-
onous click Of the armature; presently he
answered in dazed, hurried manner,
and when asked about the engine, said it
had passed there at q fearful rate of
speed at fourteen minutes past four, with
no person visible. I@1 II s.:a @.s4G~s@
1t was only six miles more to me; and
an excursion was on it's way west with a
| heavy load Of tired picniccrs, and had
actually left station only eight miles
cast of me, the first telegraph Office, at
wo minutes past four. - ,.,t ,.,r~2
| The dispatcher called me furiously,
and being at hand and cxpectant, I ans
wered him Immediately. When he said,
"Turn your switch and wreck engine No.
II, going east wild" 1 replied quickly,
Il cannot without an indemnity order;
and after a hasty consultation with the
superintendent, as / afterward learned,
he went ahead with an order, whose un-
usual form and wording reused many a
lazy "brass soundcr' from u doze. 1t
was like this:
"7o Operator Wreck wild engine No.
II at your eastern switch gate to save
collision. Company will defend and up
hold you. D. r. b.
Immediately returned my "13," OF
understanding" received my correct at
AIS P.M.,' and turned to look for the
engine, when, although the conversation
between myself and the dispatcher had
consumed but four minutes, / saw her
coming ut the grandcst rate of speed I
ever witnessed, and, snatching my order,
I ran to the switch gate, about one hun
dred and fifty feet, and when had I'M
locked and thrown the rail, the roaring
monster was only about one hundred feet
away. had my watch in my hand, and
stepped quickly back out of harms way,
when at exactly twenty minutes past four
she went over, and such an unearthly
crash I hope may never SOC or hear
again!
| Tho dirt and stones few fifty feet in