The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-21
A W LID ENGINE.
And How 1t Was Wrecked to Save An j.
cursion Train.
tSan Francisco CALL

il
After all, we way-statlon telerrort
rators are not without our little hitp y, op6
n ,ance occasionally, and think can y y, 60
W., are not entirely without certain u NY, slo
OF responsibility: but 1t Is seldom II avalt
recon tulzed, unless one of our number h. = vyd
lessnt SO suddenly plunges train In fiasst saIe
tion BY failing to deliver or understapn.as "
ders. The time Of which [ write ugs au 81
pleasant afternoon In autumn, The tmoA
second day Of september, 1876, and as tha q
e,,rrence has made deep imprsssinnn s as q
mind. I cannot forget the day, which N.Y. ya ~ ~
day. At that time I had been an ap M 81 50
operatOr on the - railroad q little whis q sa
two months. The line was directly throy.sas!
uarts of Indiana and Illinois, ana s so.t
n1ently the order distance was som osae
lengthy, aud there was but one Office hs3
mine and Cowan's, twelve miles west ns M Y:
day / was quietly putting my meersosaMals
in the little bay window OF my office, and w
ing for something to relieve the inonotsas
when the operator at Cowan's called liz sssk
dispatcher, and said an engine had surrnss Is
throttle with 40 pounds Of steam, AMI wv ~ g
east, while the fireman had gone TO lunch ~
the engineer. who was Ofling around MI
time to get on. All was still as death ~ J
minute, when the dispatches began II ~
Ct, the only Office between mine ana a.
ans for full five minutes he called him NV.
IN. fSAWM
no ans er, and still the monotOnOus cIiasN Wy y
the armature: presently he answered /. \
dazed, hurried manner, and when w.
about the engine, said 1t passed thprp "a
fearful rate OF speed at fourteen rninsia
past 4, with no person visible. II was ~
Six miles more to me, and an excursion ~
on its way west with heavy load al H.
only eight miles east OF me, the first ~
graph office, at two minutes past 4. Tha1
hatcher called me furiously, and beinv +
hand and expectant answered him irsns
diately. When he said, "Turn your ANA
and wreck engine No. II. going east wild'sj
replied quickly, u cannot without an Ind
nity order" and after q hasty consultssi.
with the superintendent, as I aftFWns
learned, he went ahead with an order. VII.
unusual form and wording aroused mars
lazy ''brass- sounder" from dose. II ~
like this ~
"To operator: Wreck wild engine No IN
your eastern switch-gate, to save COLIN
Company will defend and uphold 70 you !,
Immediately returned my '13' or aundk
standing" received my correct at4 aanSs
and turned to look for the engine, M
although the conversation between nv
and the dispatcher had consumed bit III
minutes, saw her coming at the srsts
rate OF speed / ever witnessed, and snst1S2S
III
hundred and fifty feet, and when I III Il
locked and thrown the rail- the roaring 1ts
ster was only about one hundred feet M
[ had my watch In nay hand and stxoda
quickly back out Of harms way, when III
itetly 4 20 she went over, and such al 4
earthly crush hope [ may never seeoft "a
againl The dirt and stones flew fifty fesf
the air, the engined turned clear ug
and stopped on her side pushtne
splinter OK the cab on the whistle valve =
| there she lay shethiDg, kissing, ser50Atf
| mass Of rubbish. But above the din and NJ
| heard one wild, despairing shrek f0f u
| and when / could get close enough tosea III
thing I found what had 1t not been i0fH
| face would never have been recognized nj
man in the crushed and bleeding fnaS
| flesh that lay under one huge driver; bit II
| face was without scar, and by that Nxsh1
| oguized as an escaped mailman, Nk4
seems, had climbed on the engine at Con-
| unobserved, and pulling the throttle opmhl
| started on wild, awful ride to the gatAa
| death. When the excursion train cant 4
ten minutes later they said they found il
standing by the engine, gazing altefnasd11
| the bloody driver and my written 9rda, e.
| tightly clasped In my hand. was res4
scious Of everything save the fact that H.
obeyed orders, aud had theregy t..
knew nothing from the instant discNa
that white, bloodless face until fNf "a
after, when / Was awakened apparently
Of dream. My first question Haa ~
the excursion get in safsIyy The cxa
| held an Inquest as soon as could % %
ined and the verdict was: ave, the jafI
that Albert Long came to his death By
crushed beneath locomotive whica
wrecked by j. l.. B., an operator on thsz
Railroad, according to the order q Usx5
his superintendent and superior oflleek. 81
we find further, that no blame can be aAs
to said j. L. B., d. L. b., or the said taIln
company, as the engine was wrecked "
q heavily loaded excursion. and SAID W.
Long, being q madman, was on the engs
direct opposition to the company's olu w.
have that order and g. copy of the yeraH5s
by side In my diary, where they shall ass1
| remain. .sa.
| Often In my dreams I see an unreeog1
mass Of qulvering flesh and broken DDa9
meath the huge driver, and white, u1s 81
face presents itself to my gaze. 4 49,
shrek will almost craze me, and am Co.
| to go where railroads are unknown,