Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-11-10

''Oh, yes, engineers do lose their
nerve," said Old Throttle, especially
one who has night run all the time.
You see, in the nighttime an engineers
eyes, thoughts and all are confined to q
very small space; it's nearly or quite
dark inside the cab, and if his engine is
workin' all right, carryin' her water.
good lots of steam. and the fireman
wide-awake and lively, that engineer
don't have much to do with his eyes,
only to look out ahead over the little
space made bright by the headlight. and
his though are naturally confined to
what his eyes take in. In the daytime
it's different; he can look around and
see lots gOin' on. He notices that
this field of taters looks good, and won
ders if his little patch at home will turn
out as well; he sees Teller fishin', and
remembers the last mess Of trout he
caught in the Shohola; he sees woman
and baby in the little white house near
the big curve, and his thoughts fly back
to his home and his wife and children,
and he wonders what they are doing
just now. -qls 'r.s .s,
''And this he can take in. and be
'tendin to business strictly, but in the
nighttime all is changed and his vision
and thoughts, as l said, are confined to
the small spot made visible and distinct
by the headlight, and his ideas natural
ly follow the rails. He remembers that
the culvert just ahead is the very spot
that was washed out last spring, and
nothing left under the ties and rails for
ten or fifteen feet; true, his engine
jumped the chasm, and only five cars
loaded with express matter and baggage
went down and were smashed and piled
on top of each other, but it might have
been the ten cars of emigrants tnat were
coupled in the rear, and it isn't pleas
ant to think of what might have been.
Just around the curve is the place
where his engine struck draw-head
some careless brakeman had left lying
on the track; his engine only turned
over on her side. and fortunately the
air-brakes had so stopped the train that
no further damage was done; but he
shudders as he recalls the sensations he
experienced while the engine was turn
ng over and crushing its mad way
Trough the ties, and 'tisn't pleasant tc
hink of. He flies over huge embank.
nent at a pace of forty miles an hour
md thinks of the feelings that were his
IN certain trip last winter when a
ide-rod came crashing through the
ice of the cab, while passing over the
anne embankment.
@ In the cut just ahead is where, on
jhe last trip, a Waterman, intent on
Watching train on the opposite track,
lad forgotten the express was due, and
he horror and agony depicted on his face
5 the pilot threw him high in the air will
ever be forgotten, neither will his
nangled and stained body, picked up
md cared for as soon as the train could
be stopped And so on every mile of the
Dad something of this kind is brought
to mind, as his thoughts follow the cir
Gle of light ahead, which flashes and
changes constantly, now shining on a
bridge, now showing an embankment,
flashing its rays now on house and now
through trees and foliage, and if the
man is easily worried or bothered he
gets very nervous, indeed, and wishes
he was at the end of the trip-anywhere
off the rail. "a o.
"Why, I've known men to give up the
est trains on the road and big pay be-
cause they had to run in the nighttime.
and take trains that were much harder
to run and poorer pay, simply because
the latter run in daylight. Yes, engi-
neers do sometimes get frightened and
lose nerve, and it is not to be Won
dered at when we think of his standing
one hand on the throttle and the other
on the reverse lever, with his thoughts
going back to incident and accident of
his busy and hazardous life ON each
curve and straight line of the road, as
revealed by the headlight of his en-
CINE. Port Jervis Gazette.