The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-05-13
ACAPABLE ENGINEER.

We see no need of canon or bull to cele-
brate the name of William Westlake because
its bearer failed, through a reasonable self
possession which he had great use for, to
cause the loss of hundred or two lives en-
trusted to his keeping as engne-driver on the
Cornwall and Devonshire line, England. The
fact that most engineers would have lost COOL
ness and courage, and have done number of
fatal things, and omitted to do the only thing
there was to be done, would be calculated to
disparage them greatly if they were known.
But it is enough to say of William Westlake
that he is true man, has courage enough not
to- get frightened when there is no real cause,
and sense enough to save his own life and the
lives of others when there was no real need
of losing them.
Westlake drove the heavy mail train from
Par station, the road laying up steep incline,
requiring the full power OF his ponderous loco
motive, for St. Austell station. The road,
which was single track, was reported clear
for him, but it happened that heavy mineral
train, which should have been shut off at St.
Austcll, passed laundering down the incline
for Par, of which fact Westlake was as COM
pletely unaware as the reader, at the time. He
had thrown his hampers up and heaped on
fire till he had on considerable head, and was
going before time. Presently he saw the
heavy trucks come laundering down toward
him with hundred seconds, perhaps, between
him and destruction, for no lite would have
been spared in that terrible collision.
Now. as we have said, the merit of Westlake
lies in his doing the only thing there was to
do. Another engineer, nevertheless, might
have done something else-turned on his
alarm whistle, jumped off his engine to save
himself, fallen paralyzed with terror, and
helpless, might have madly turned on all his
steam, and rushed upon the avalanche of iron
and mineral that bore so fercely down upon
him. But he did none of these; but, coolly,
knowing that the right thing even done sec
ond too late might send them all flying into
eternity, he blew his alarm whistle, ordered on
all the brakes, shut off all the steam. Throb !
throb the train stopped, dead still. But
within forty yards of him came rushing down
the six-coupled double engine with its two
hundred tons of trucks like winged wrath. In
another second Westlake's lever was reversed,
his steam turned on. his brakes opened. The
train starts toward Par. But stones throw
would fetch the pursuing engine. 1t was singly
a question of speed-a pint more of water in
the boiler to chill the steam, shovel more of
Goals to choke the fire, or any like indiscre-
ton, and the massive engine and its iron train
would have crashed into William Westlake
and his precious charge of human lives. But
open goes his blower at the risk of bursting
his boiler: out shoots the reversing rod to the
full length of the piSton's beat; wide open
flies the regulator precipitating every inch of
steam straight into thu cylinder, and in three
minutes the mail train had shot back through
Par, and put a clear mile between itself and
the terrible danger which had threatened it.
William Westlake did not get off his engine,
but reversed her again, timed himself by his
watch, waited till the great train had swept
heavily over the switch, then started up the
incline just as the passengers were getting into
the excitement of fearful scare on hearing
from the brakesmen what they had escaped.