The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-11-23
An ESGTNEER'S STORY.
somo Very Thrilling Reading From Real
Elfe.

"oaNNo wy NlCauipH FROM hCaI
Eife.
"Was ever in an accident2 DO YOU
suppose, young man, that q man ever
handled o throttle for thirty.five years
without being in an accident? What
do you call six co!lisionsS If you had
ever been on one of two engines that were
dashing like fury at each other and had
seen them come together ard be them.
selves with their trains smashed into
smithereens, you would have some idea
Of what real railroad accident IL, You
was never in the war. You read in the
histories about tho fights, but you never
saw the slaughter nor smelied the smoke
of battle, aud If you never stood on an
engine Just in the crash of collision
you simply don't know thing about it,"
and clever Bill Mitchell Of the Central
rested one hand caressingly on the throt-
tie of the "Chipoia," stroked his iron
gray whisksrs with the other aud looked
at the Consttufion's young man in q
quizzical sort of way, as much as to say ::
What do you think Of that, my boy ?"
The reporter waited moment and
urged the veteran engineer to give him
some leaves from his diary.
Sou'u 'sie Sou eOuie interesting
things shout ai5 experience o; thirty.
hve years as an engineer" was the reply,
as the engineer turned his towel over aud
hunted about for q dry spot on which to
wipe his newly washed face. Then he
climbed down from the engine and seated
himself on the end of crosstie, and
taking on far away look he began:
BIG COLLISION.
From tho Georgia went to the Ten.
nessee and Georgia Road, stayed there o
year, and thirty years ago came TO the
Central, and here rest. The worst col.
iision that was ever in was on the Cen.
trail during tho war. When was the
fight Of Jonesboro? Don't know ?
Well don't remember exactly myself.
It was tho day after the battle Of Jones.
boro / was running tho dispatch" and
Lum Carr was bringing out the "Gover.
nor" | was pulling the regular passen.
ger train and Lum had comnissary
train. The commissary train should
nave waited for ME at Barnesvilie, but
they did not do so, and went on like q
streak Of creased lightning to meet them.
The Dispatch" was drawing eight pas.
senger cars and five box carB. | was
making about forty miles an hour, and
when saw the "Governor" I think she
was making about the same time. You
could not have breathed three times be-
fore these engines struck. The passen.
ger cara were smashed into kindliug
wood; the engines were totally demol.
ished the ccsnmissary train was a mas
0: suins; one car loaded with bulk peas
was stood on its end, and six soldiers,
who were riding in there, were smo,hered
in the peas. Colonel Hubert was riding
on the engine with me, and just before
the engines struck Il negro kicked him of
and thus saved his life. Out Of the
wreck we took thirty.two dead bodies
and twenty-five died in few days from
the effects of injuries received. When
cav the Governor" come in sight
blew down breaks, reversed my eugine
and jumped. That was all / could do.
My arm was broken. As / jumped
across gully, jua. as :he engine struck,
freight car that had left the track JUST
grazed my head and knocked off my cap.
That was the worst accident l was ever
in. We buried the dead ut Baruesville.
The first real accident that was ever
in was nearly thirty years ago, before !
came on the Central. was on the Geor.
gia Road then; I have been on the
Central thirty years; thirty years exact
~ on the 9th Of next May. One day we
we're coming up long grads on the
uccryia nosd. was running the Her
cules." In front of us was train load
ed with iron. When the train in front
was along toward the top of the grade
the three rear cars broke loose. They
we're at the top Of the grade, aud I was
just going up with q speed of about
twelve miles an hour. We knew moth
ing of the accident that had befallen the
front train. II was out of our sight.
The loosened cars started down to meet
Us. They started slowly, and then their
speed grew fastsr aud faster, until they
flew recklessiy down the track; without
engine or train men they dashed along
around the curve toward me, while was
quietly climbing the hill to meet them.
All at once they dashed around q sharp
curve and in an instant they struck US.
Some of the bars Of railroad iron we're
thrown seventy five feet. The bog was
sitting On was knocked from under me,
but fortunately no one was hurt.
The engineer paused and the Constitu-
tion urged him to take up another story.
WHAT cow DID.
"The most singular accident that
ever had" continued the talker, "was in
l878-September 9Th, 1873. l ran over
COW that threw the engine from the
track and threw the tender over the en-.
gine and hundred feet away. An ice
car jumped clear over the engine, and
another ice car jumped up en- the engine
and stayed there"
"And the fireman."
1T threw him clear off the right Of
way"
"Where we're your"
II was in the only place around where
there was room enough for man TO be.
l can't tell how it was, and how got
there, but somehow or other / found my.
self down under the engine. covered with
the wreck and almost scalded To death.
BY young friend, you ought to see the
scars that are on my body. Peace hath
her scars no less than war, and scars too
as honorable as the scars of battle. It il
q mystery to me how I got out from
under the debris. They hunted for me
everywhere and failed to find me, and
finally crawled out from under the en-.
gine. They say that came out through
hole not more than eight inches across,
and I'll leave it to you TO say If ain't
close e on 70 as big as Fatty Harris. But
It's all in the business. Somebody must
do it. and never saw q true engineer
yet who would shirk duty. I guess I
love the business as we'll as anybody,
and I'll stick to her to tho last" and Bill
Mitchell threw his overalls into the chest,
elammed the lid down with bang, and