The Red Cloud chief., 1880-03-25

Hos They Sometimes Act Like Humsns-A
Chat Whh ss 0id Engsse~r-
fFrutu the rs~truss Pre- Frr~.

Chat Win ss Oid Esgsse~r-
Prom the T,-sroi; FF.. fr.--
"He's in the dumps bccsa-e his loco
motive has been on for three OF -four
days. said a railroad man NJ the Unior
depot the other day n be pointed io NJ
engineer who looked rs sour : any dys
peptic.
How OF
Go and ask him"
]; took a quarter If an hour and 3
I cigar To clear the ciond from the engi-
neer's face, and then nreply 10 the que
~ he said;
" 1t il 4 queer thing. There's my en-
CINE, one II the best on the road, in
perfect order, only two years old. and
able To- run or pull with the best 81 them
A month ago I hadn't the least bit 81
trouble in making time. no matter how
the track was or the weight Of b train.
She was ready NJ the word, held her
steam beautifully, and she seemed To
understand every word / said. To-dsy
she is down in the round-house, growl-
ing and suffering and acting az if she
wanted 10 pick afuss with 4 gravel-pii.'
"Any thing out of gear?'
"Noi a thing. She's been looked
over twice, and we can't find the least
excuse for her conduct. She'll get over
Il in aday ortwo, perhaps. ifshe don't
we'll punish her"
"How?"
"Put her before n freight OF stock
train. I've seen it tried q dozen times,
and il most always works well. Here
she is now, bright "a a new dollar and
handsome Is a picture, and III bet fifty
dollars that there isn't the least thing
out Of order. She's simply sulking, the
same a. a child or 4 woman, acd | know
what started il. Three weeks ago, while
on nv run in with the night express.
she Just wanted 10 light right out for all
she was worth. She took the bit Ike a
running horse, and If | hadn't choked
her off she'd have beaten schedule time
by twenty minutes. She acted mad
right away, and in running twenty miles
she gave me more trouble than | had
ever had with her in a run Of 800. She
lost steam, tried Ia foam over, choked
her pumps, and when | wanted %
steam she'd slide on her drivers. She
went right back on me that night, a.d
has been sulking around ever 81. ce."
"Do all engines do this?'
mot all, but many Of them. Some
Of 'em begin 10 cut up and get on their
high heels the first day out Of the shop,
a. if determined To be master: while
others will be obedient as you please for
two or three years and then all ut once
play you some rusty trick. People say
that "a horse is e 10 man In point Of
intelligence, but | sometimes think the
locomotive ought To have that place.
We engineers do not look upon them as
machines, but almost as companions,
and I've known drivers Ia talk 10 them
by the hour. | feel awfully down in the
mouth about my pet
"Is this your first experience with a
sulking ~engine?"
NO; it's my third. Six years ago,
when | was running out Of Chicago,
west, | had ten years added To my age
In about two minutes. | had a fine
passenger engine, and we were the best
of friends for over a year. One day
when we were booming over he u
II, AT forty miles an hour, | saw "A
farmers team stalled at IA highway
crossing. He had a biz load of wood
on his wagon, and the team was u pair
of Young horses. When | first caught
sight of them they were dancing up aud
down and not trying to pull a pound.
aud the old farmer was on top the load
and putting on the whip good and
strong. Now. | honestly believe that
engine wanted 10 mash thing. She
suddenly increased her speed. and
when / reversed and put on the air
brakes she plunged and kicked and al
most jumped the rails. When | started
up again She was sulking, and | had all
| could do to make time. She was
off all next "trip, but | wouldn't give
in. On the next trip she showed her
teeth, and they had the CLEAN of a Ian
tern of death.
"You see, | had orders to side-track
at a certain station for the Atlantic ex-
press to pass me, and my engine sulked
and growled and threw me several min
utes behind time. There was little time
to spare when we reached the station.
| had drawn the train about half way
off the main track when my engine
stopped dead still. Yes, sir-stopped
dead still, and that without being
reversed or a brake applied. and with
steam enough to blow off! | was
dazed for a minute, and the fireman
opened his eyes like seeing a terrible
picture. just then the Atlantic whisiled.
| jumped down and ran To the pilot.
expecting TO see a ~barricade, but the
track was clear. leaped into the cab
and gave her more steam, bu. not a
wheel moved. More vel. but she stood
there like n rock, Conductor, brake
man and passengers were shouting at
me, and the switchman howled like a
panther. On came the Atlantic, and |
pulled the throttle open wide. Bless
You, sir, | am in a shiver now at the
recollection
1.-The Atlantic always passed us on
the fly. but that night she had a party
of stockholders aboard who wanted To
get off ut this station, and she came to
a stop and saved such railroad slaugh-
ter as would put the Ashtabula disaster
nowhere. She'd have gone through two
sleeping ears slick as 4 bullet. There
We stood. my engine growing and
threatening and | half-crazed. The
fireman suddenly lit out as if he had
seen a ghost, a mob of the passengers
swarmed down on me, and believe |
should have taken 10 the woods If a
change hadn't come. All at once No.
A. seemed TO rear right up, she made a
plunge or two, and away she went Ike
a bolt of lightning, and | had the hard
est kind of work to stop her on the sid
ing
"They didn't say ! was drunk and
they knew l wasn't asleep, but they
suspended me until they looked the n
CINE over. She was in perfect order.
and they sent her out on the accommo-
dation with a new driver. What did
she do but bang right into a train at a
station, and that with all steam shut off
and the bar thrown over. Some folks
laugh at us and cali it superstition, but
they never lived in an engine cab. Ask
any barber if his razor doesn't get off
now and then and refuse TO shave until
laid aside for a rest. Ask any horse
trainer if his horse will make the same
time two mornings alike, even if the
care and feed are the same. Running
in and out Of Detroit are hundreds of