Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-01-10
ALLEGANY COUNTY, MARYLAND SATURDAY. JANUARY 49, 1880.
A Midnight Ride on an Engine.

"ooi ioolhS. ~ N''s lhluhibhut "hu
the train was rushing along at the
rate of forty miles an hour. Nearly
all the passengers in number about
800, wero sleeping. Two sleepers
were full, and in the five other cars
the passengers were resting in re-
clining chairs, or bolstered up in
the straight seats. None appeared
to have any thought of anxiety for
their safety, and yet the thermom-
eter had fallen to fteen degrees
below zero; the rails We're icy the
moon was about setting, and soon the
train would be rushing on through in
tense darkness. Thoughts of broken
rails and bridges, rendered brittle by
the cold, made nervous chills run
over me. Then / thought of the man
who held the lives of all these sleep
ing, unconcerned passengers in his
care, the engineer, and great curicei-
ty arose in my mind to know how a
man with such an immense RESPONSE
bility upon him, felt, looked, acted,
and talked.
At the next stopping-place | sue
ceeded in getting a reluctant permis-
sion from the engineer to ride on
the engine only until the moon should
set; the reason for this being that,
after it became dark, he could not
have his attention diverted by the
presence of any one.
Very soon the train was again
laundering along at its highest rate
of speed. 1t seemed perfectly fear
ful, citing in the cab of the engine.
The cold wind rushed past our ears
with cutting whizz the monster en-
gne seemed almost leaping from the
rails in in its frantic efforts the mon
ster driving wheels seemed to spin
round like tops. SO terrific was the
sensation that would gladly have
retreated to the shelter of the passen-
ger car, but / dared not risk the Jour-
ney with the train at such speed.
The engineer, a great, stalwart, noble
looking fellow, kept his eye steadily
fixed on tho track ahead. The moon
light was bright, and tho track lay
like black line plainly visible for
miles ahead on the prairie. Noticing
my evident perturbation the engineer
said
"Oh, this is nothing, a straight
track and a clear moonlight. The
strain comes when the night is pitch
dark, when the track runs over an un-
even country; when there are curves
and cuts and bridges and embank-
ments when it rains and the track is
Slippery, or may be washed away;
when the rails are icy or brittle with
cold"
"And do you rush on just the
came ?'
"Just the same. The travelling
public would complain loudly if time
were lost for storm or flood"
Are you never afraid
awe do not think about fear. If
we do we are lost. 1t is like man
walking a narrow place at a dizzy
hight. If he begins to think Of his
position he is lost. Engineers on ex-
press trains don't dare to lose their
nerve if they do they are gone up"
"How so ?"
"An engineer who begins to lose
his nerve soon shows it in his train.
If he brings his train in behind time
for few times in succession, he is
called to account. If it is found that
he is gettiag afraid to run SO fast, he
is deprived of his position and put on
freight engine. An engineer who
once loses his nerve never recovers it."
"Do engineers dread such reduc-
tion in rank |"
"Of course no one likes to be de-
graded in rank. There is pride in
the courage and bravery of our pro-
fessian that impels liz all to seek to
maintain our positions at the top,
more especially as the position of ex-
press train engineer is only attained
after long years of apprenticeship and
service in running freight engines.
but occasionally, after having been
promoted to frst-class positions, en-
gineers find the strain too great on
their nerves and voluntarily take po-
sitions on freight trains or short local
accommodation trains"
The moon was now just sinking be-
low the horiznn Behind us thun-