Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-10-26
pREM0NIII0NS OF DANGER.
"A Railroad Engineer Gives his Elk
perience.

From the Washington Critic.
"A fortnight Or SO ago I was on my
way TO the far west. travelling on a
fast through B. and O. express. On q
bright Sunday morning I awoke in my
berth and realized that the train was
standing still. [ raised the curtain and
peeped out. The sun was we'll up in the
heavens and the train stood in deuse
wood away from any living creatures.
It did not move for some time, and |
arose, made my toilet, and went outside.
The train stood partially on long tres
tie woak or open bridge, and | could
see smoke rising from the end of the
structure furthest from us. I walked
out past the locomotive aud on the
bridge where I met O number Of gem
t!emen talking.
"Whal's the NATTER" / inquired OF
one,
"Oh, section of the bridge has
burned" replied the gentleman.
LUCKY that the engineer saw the fire
in time to save u.s." / remarked gazing
down INTO the water below, and sIud-
ierlng at the Thought Of being piled up,
in q slcepins car, III the chasm that
yawned for me.
"But the eJ.sineor says he didn't see
any fire when ne stoppeA,' exclaimed
one.
NO., said the engineer, who stood
hard by, Il saw no fire. had a },resen-
Tisuent as [ approached the bridge
Something seemed TO warn me that it
was not safe to cross that bridge, ana it
came upon me so strongly that just
stopped the train and got Out Of the cab,
and l hadn't walked twenty steps before
/ SAN that the at had saved many lives,
'or the whole train would have gone
down that hole, although it is but tbs.
length IF two rails. The fire didn't show
so ,ntlch above tue ties, as it Was con-
fined mostly to the timbers below. Right
there in that little shed watchman
Sleeps said the engineer, pointing to Il
1iminutive dwelling u half dozen rods
away, and it was his duty, and it has
been for years, to be out here, and to
pace over the bridge just before ana az
ter ls; but somehow | felt that he WAS
not faithful. that he might be asleep,
and Conld see in my mind, as APP
preached the bridge, tho whole train
going down 10 death, ane could hear the
cries Of the dying, and SO Just stopped +,
as said. The wat, Imam, sure enough,
was asleep. Oh. you needn't laugh, for
tins is not the first time presentiments
have saved lives when my hand WAS at
the throttle. No, Sir, I've been in Just
This position. before" said he, b'ushlng
to the tips Of mis- fingers, as two or three
gentlemen smiled anu Whistied a bit.
NO" said he, Il had forboding of
danger stronger than this few years
ago. | was running then on division
oftlo Sandusky. There is II little sta
zion on til It road wh,re the l,assenger
trains saldOm stop. 1t has siding Tor
freights, however, and there WAS nearly
always q freight side-tracketl as passed
through on the fast express. That it,
tie place IS on long stretch Of splendid
track, and for years Tic eng neers had
that as al cluE ground, and tell you
some mighty good time has been made
there. At TIA. time | had this present.
melt the rivalry among the engineers
on that Gtrei.!l Of track Was at its
height. It was n sharp winter night
thar approached the station on the
down trip. ! was foggy and q fierce
wind h.eH. | hadn't stopped there for
three months, and as went into that
good track with! a dash, aud approached
She lage at q terrible speed, l never
thought Of stopping. My locomotive
was the H6etest on the road, and [ was
congratulatlng myself, So the fireman
drew his watch, and WIS making the
best time on record, and was thinking to
myself now l would appal the train
men side-tracked as I dashed through,
When B. quarter OF g. mile from the
station something whispered to ne
to stop. | dldn,s want to stop; and re-
hecting how chasrlned I would be if
HTnl1IG h.ava RI .tnr rSr in, ,F
q successful race. [ tossed my head,
opened the throttle q little more, and
Oh, how we flew! Seems to Enc I never
saw q train come SO near flying, and yet
she just lay as close to und Smoothly on
the track as could be. Quick as thought
l. was commanded by all inner being to
stop, or it would make run to death
and, without effort, my hands reversed
Che engine and appIied the air. There
was no signal, no whistle nor bell sound"
au, and the fireman was nsto;lnded to
see ray frantic movements. The train
lay still q few feet past the depot, and
So L jumped from my engine lett so
embarrassed that | almost burned. [
could make no explanation TO the con-
ductar or the trainmen who came about
me. | looked Ill over the eng inc. Ey-
crytlins was all right. I cast my eyes
along the train. Nothing appeared
wrong. Tnen I walked down the track
in front Of the engine. When I had
gone less than u hundred !eet. and be-
You'd the rays Of the headlight, / ran
against box car! 1t stood right out in
front of the engine, full on the track.
The switch had been left open, and the
wind had skewed il out. it was loaded
with carbon OIL Had I not seen it
scores Of persons would have been
killed and burned.
II am positive that there is such a
thing rs being. forewarned," continued
the old engineer. THAT warning which
stopped me on the Sandusky came only
n few months after saved, by q ha IRIS
breadth,i whole train from being
wrecked in 8 culvert. I was dashing
along one rainy night q few months be-
fore that. the country WAS open and my
train WAS the night express. / had no
didn't; but something told me as was
stop; and that desire to stop The train
fastened upon me until found. myself
a minute later, standing beside my en-
CINE. It was so dark I could scarcely
see my hand before me. Hound the
culvert filed with cross ties, wedged
down so closely that they would have
thrown US fiat on our backs, and the
work was so we'll done that l would not
have seen them had not I stopped and
walked right up on them with a lantern.
Did [ ever see another engineer
who WAS a. believer in : pre-
sentiments9 Lots of them.
know old Jack Crane; and Jack Crane
will swear that a foreboding is .surer
than eyesight itself. I remember Of d
thrilling story that he told me many
years ago, and have thought of 1t eyery
time have been stopped. He was
running an express up in northern
Ohio several years ago--it may have