Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-09-14
WRECKING AN ENGINE.
BY OPERATOR


not without our little bit of romance oc-
casionally. and I think I can show that
we are not entirely without certain
amount Of responsibility; but it is sell
dom If ever recognized, unless one of our
number by carelessness suddenly plunges
train into destruction by failing to de-
liver or understand orders.
The time of which 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, I can
not forget the day, which was Friday
At that time I had been an agent and
operator on the - r. r. a 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 order distance
was somewhat lengthy; and there was but
one Office between mine and Cowans,
twelve miles west.
On this day was quietly putting my
meerschaum IN the large bay window Of
my office, and wishing tor something to
relieve the montony, when the operator
L,
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. .....
All was as still as death for minute,
when the dispatcher began to call G., the
only Office between mine and Cowans
| for fully 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.
1t was only six miles more to me; and
an excursion was on its way west with a
heavy load of tired picnicers, and had
actually left station only eight miles
east of me-. the first telegraph office, at
two minutes past four.
The dispatcher called me furiously,
and being at hand and expectant, ans
wered him Immediately. When he said,
''Turn your switch and wreck engine No.
II, going east wild" I replied quickly,
II cannot without an indemnity order;;'
and after a hasty'consultation with the
| uperintendent, as I afterward learned,
he went ahead with an order, whose. I'M
usual form and wording reused many a
lazy "brass sounder'' from q doze. It
was like this:
"2'0 Operator Wreck wild ginc No.
II at your eastern switch gate to save
collision. Company will defend and up
hold you. D. r. By
Immediately returned my "13," or
understanding" received my correct at
4:1S 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 at the grandcst rate of speed I
ever witnessed, and snatching my order,
l 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. l 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 hope I may never see or hear
again!
The dirt and stones flew fifty feet in
the air; the engine turned clean over, and
stopped on her side, pushing splinter
Of the Gao on the whistle valve, and there
she lay seething, Kissing, screeching
mass Of rubbish.
But above the din and rattle I heard
one wild, despa1ring shrek for help, and
when l could get close enough to see any
thing, found what, had it not been for
the face, would never have been recog-
nized as a man in the crushed and bleed
lug mass of flesh that lay under one huge
driver; but the face was without scar,
and by that was recognized as an escaped
mailman WHO. it seems, had climbed on
the engine at Cowans unobserved, and
pulling the throttle open, had started on
| a wild, awful ride to the gate of death.
When the excursion train came up, ten
minutes later, they said they found me
standing by the engine gazing alternately
at the bloody driver and at my written
order, still tightly ciasped in my hand.
was unconscious Of everything save
the fact that I had obeyed orders, and
had thereby taken a life. They say I
tainted, but knew nothing from the in
slant I discovered that white, bloodless
face until four days after, when I awaken.
cd apparently out Of a dream. My first
question was. ''Did the excursion get in
safely9"
The coroner held an inquest as soon as
I could be examined. and the verdict was !:
''We the jury find that Albert Long came
to his death by being crushed beneath a
locomotive which was wrecked by J. l..
B., an operator on the-R. R., according
to the order of D. R. B., his supcrin tend
ent and superior officer. And we find
further, that no blame can be attached to
said j. l.. B., D. r. B., or the said railroad
company, as the engine was wrecked to
save heavily-laden excursion, and said
Albert Long, being a mailman, was on
the engine in direct opposition to the
campanys orders.
I have that order and copy Of the
verdict side by side in my diary, where
they shall always remain.
Often in my dreams see an unrecog-
nizable mass Of quivering flesh and brok-
en- bones beneath a huge driver, and
a white, unsecured face.presents itself to
my gaze. A sudden shrek will
almost craze me, and I am often tempted
to 90 where railroads are unknown, where
the Kissing and screaching cannot reach
me.
A Practical Joke.
From the OIL City Derrick.