The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-06-03

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brakes and reversed, with the hope of
averting the calamity; but twas no use.
I was certain I was going to kill every
one in the wagon, and the horse, too, and
when hit them I swooned. Twas the
most terrible experience I ever had since
I ran an engine. The two ladies seemed
as it charmed, and were perfectly un~
conscious Of their great danger, while
the man was beating the animal in a
fearful way to get him to pull across out
Of the way. They all had their eyes riv-
eted on the train, and although it was
running them down every second faster
and faster, not one of them made a move
to jump from the wagon. When struck
them they had not moved a step from
the spot where first saw them.
"When the train stopped I got settled
but could hardly recall what I had just
! seen. My fireman said, Lets go back
| and see if they are killed; but couldn't
stand it, and didn't go back. It turned
out happily that the only one killed was
| the horse that baked. When the en-
ginc hit him he was directly between the
two rails, and being struck with such
force, broke loose from the wagon and
was sent twenty feet in the air, landing
in the culvert with his neck broken, and
mutilated in horrible manner. The
man and the two ladies were more fright
cned, like myself, than hurt. They were
all pitched with the wagon into the gut
ter on the side Of the track, and beyond
being roughly handled and receiving
several scratches and bruises, nothing Sc
| rious bcfell them. O, yes, I forgot-the
mans arm was broken. The nearest
house was opened to them, and we went
| on, being unstrung and hardly capable
| Of running the rest of the trip. I tell
you will never forget that experience,
| and several times since it happened the
| horrible sights has come to me in my
! Dreams"
"Wcll," put in Carpenter, II have
| mover killed human beng yet, but We
can't tell how soon we will. The near
est I ever come to it was at the time
struck the tramp between Howell's and
Mlddletown some time ago, and as I was
able to nearly stop before reached Inn,
only gave him light rap, so light that
he only got a leg broken and 4 small
scalp wound, both Of which he soon got
over, after being taken to the county
house. But did ever I tell you about the
| brood of geese struck at Sloatsburg
once?" continued "Abc.:' That was a
funny mishap, and laughed over it lots
OF times. You know geese are like old
hens when in front of awagon or train
cunning, and really to jump out Of the
way just in the nick of time. These
geese were sure ''gooscs' this time, Tor
they didn't bud &c; like the women you
speak of, Jackey, sister ''gooses," they
seemed to be enchanted and charmed.
There was probably fifty Of 'em. But
knew they couldn' do any harm if thcre'd
been fifty million Of en-, I let her out a
screw Or two Oh the throttle, just to sec
them fly. You'd ought to sec them.
Twas just fun. Some Of them went up
forty Or fifty leet They went up on all
sides and you would think lot Of boys
were snowballing my engine. Two of
them lit down in the coal in the tender,
and one came wh;zing in the cab-window
My fireman and had roast goose for
dinner that day, and each took one goose
h >me. The engine was covered with
blood, geese and feathers, and from her
appearance you'd surely think Mother
Goose had been picking that day.
"You know, ABE the day | hoisted
up George Haggcrty's caboose several
years ago. and came near killing poor old
George? :'Wc'l,' continued jackey, "that
wasn't much Of an adventure, SO I'll tell
you what Tom Wilmoth, who used to run
on the Susquel:anna division, once told
me about chasing for miles Il herd of
horses. He said lie overlook them one
day on straiyht level stretch seven
miles long, and instead of being fright
ened of the ira tx with the whistle and
bell, up went their ears, and straight
ahead they bolted. Tom said he was
travelling all OF it not more than thirty
miles an hour. lie had a light freight
tram, and of course was violating the
rules of the road at that speed, but as
he had to mike q station ahead Of
u first train, he had to skip along
lively to do it. lie couldn't slack up
speed bit, for if he did he'd hold the
first class. So, with blowing every quar-
ter minute, he kept on, with the horses
on a clear run ahead OF him. He said
he run that flat stretch for miles and
miles, and every little while the horses,
as if a1gry at the wonderful speed he
was making them grow, threw up their
tails defiantly and kicked up their heels
fur1ously, just like they invariably do IN
an open field when you run by them.
Tom said it was truly wonderful how
they kept ahead On the track for at least
six miles, and only went off the track
when a bridge was reached, over which
they could not 80. Part Of them went
off one side and the rest on the other side
and then he went on and telegrarhed
back to the nearest Office to send out
trackmcn to put them off the track
it possible before the express came along.
Fortunately the express was little late,
and they got out of the way in time. Tom
also said that the horses were as wet and
white with foam as if they had just been
lathercd with soap. He didn't believe
deer could do what those horses did, and
he always did recommended the owners
Of running horses, if they wanted to get
| railroad speed out Of their runners, to
brighten them good with locomotive
whistle and bell, and they'd clean the
dcck.''
20, that's nothing" tacctiously re-
marked Carpenter. "Julc Parker once
told me about his running after a two
full-grown bucks on Southern railroad.''
Parker was chivalrous dare devil South
ern engineer than runang the lightning
express on the caste:n division of the
Erie. "He said," Carpenter went on to
relate, shat pair Of bucks suddenly
bounded upon the track from thick
woods, and so frightened were they from
the roar Of the approaching train that
they started down the track not more
than twenty feet IN front Of the engine.
Parker put On all the steam his boiler
would make, and carried his train al0no