Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-08-21
Our Selected St0z'Y.
THE ENGINEERS STORY.


z. and strong, and having eyes full of dc
determination. He signed his name in
bold, plain hand, tied a red ribbon in
button-hole, and as he left the hall
said:
o. ''As the Lord looks down upon me,
o. never touch liquor again."
o. ''1ave you been a hard drinker? o. ask
s. man who walked beside the engineer.
,r NO. Fact is, was never drunk in n
J. life. I've swallowed considerable whisk
but | never went far enough to get drum
| shouldn't miss ii, or be the worse off f
% Al hour. if all the intoxicating drink
y the world was drained into the ocean,"
: but you seemed eager to sign Il
pledge"
80 | was. and I'll keep it through thic
h. and thin. and III talk Temperance to ever
man on the road.''
~ OIL must have strong reasons
''Well, if you will walk down to the IL
. pot, Ill tell you story on the way.
has not been in the papers, and only fe
Of us know the facts. You know that
run the night express on the b roa(
We have always at least two sleepers an
a coach, and sometimes we have as man
as two hundred passengers. 1t is goo
road, level as a floor, and pretty straight
though there is a bad spot or two. Th
night express has the right o. way, AM
we must make fast time. 1t is no rar
thing for us to skim along at the rate O
fifty miles an hour for thirty or fort,
miles, and we rarely 60 below thirty. On,
night pulled out of Detroit with two
slccpcrs, two coaches. and the baggag,
and mail cars. Nearly all tie berths i.
both sleepers were full, and most of the
seats in the coaches were occupied. |,
was dark night, threatening al, the time
to rain. and 4 lonesome wind whistled
around the cab as we left the city behind.
We were seventeen minutes late, and that
meant fast time all the way through.
'Well." he continued. after moment,
'-everything ran along all right up to mid
night. The track was kept clear for us.
the engine was in good spirits, and we ran
into D. as smooth rs you please The
express coming east would meet us fifteen
miles west Of D.; but the operator at
the station had failed to receive his usual
report from below. That was strange,
and yet it was not, and after little con-
snltation the conductor sent me- ahead.
We were TO keep the main track. while the
other train would run in on the side track.
Night after night our time had been so
close that we did not keep them waiting
more than two minutes, and we were gen
orally ir sight wien they switched in.
"When We left D., we went ahead at
4 rattling speed, fully believing that the
other train would be on time. Nine miles
from D. is the little village of rarto.
There is telegraph station there. but the
operator had no night work. He closed
his office and went home about O'Clock.
and any messages on the wires tor him
were held above or below until morning.
When l sighted the station, saw red
lantern swinging between the rails. Great
" astonished, pulled up the heavy train,
and get bit of news that nearly lifted me
out OF my boots. 1t was the operator
who was swinging the lantern. lie had
been reused from sleep by the whistle of a
locomotive when there wasn't one within |
en- miles of him. He had heard the toot |
oot! toot! while he was dressing, and all
he way as he ran to the station, thinking
ned been signaled. Lo! there was no
rain there. Everything was as quiet as
he grave. The man heard his instrument
licking away, and, leaning his ear against
he window, he caught these words as
hey went through to D:
"'For Gods sake switch the eastern cx-
'ress off quick. Engineer on the western
xpress crazy drunk, and running mile a
ninute.'
"'rhe operator signaled us at once. We
ad left D nine miles away, and the
1essage could not have caught us any
there except at Parto. Six miles further
own was the lone switch. 1t was time
re were there, lacking one minute. We
,st two or three minutes in understand
g the situation and in consulting, and ,,
'st got ready to switch in where we were
hen the head ight of the other train
lme into vic. 1reat heavens! but how,
b I! how tha, .rain was flying! The bell
as ringing, sparks flying, and the whistle
and not a man of us could raise
hand. stood there on the track, SPELL
,und, as it were. There wouldn't have '
'en time, anyhow, either to have switch t.
in or to have got the passengers out. 1t a
asn't over sixty seconds before that a
lin was upon us. prayed to God for a c;
cath or two. and then shut my eyes and g
iited for death, for hadn't the strength p
get off the cab. c'
''Well, sir, Gods mercy was revealed 81
ain. Forty rods above us that locomo- lie
e jumped the track, and was piled into a
: ditch in an awful mess. Some of the 81
aches were considerably smashed, and p'
me OF the people badly bruised, but no 81
c was killed, and of course our train es- oil
ped entirely. Satan must have cared for o'
2 Tom, the other engineer. He didn't he
bruise, but was up and across the fe
ds like deer, screaming and shrieking
e tiger. 1t took five men to bind him
er he was run down. and to-day he is
worst lunatic in the State. su
Tom was good fellow" continued m
engineer. after pause, sand he used in
take his glass pretty regularly. never h,
' him drunk, but liquor kept working q ,
az on his senses until at last the tremeas q,
ght him when he had hundred and ~,
y lives behind his engine. lie broke OO
all of a sudden. The fireman was a,,
own off the engine, all the steam turned !.
and then Tom danced and screamed
carried on like a fend. He would
e made awful work, sir, but for Gods
rcy. I'm trembling yet over the way in,
came down for us, and Ill never think fie
i without my heart jumping for my SUI