The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-11-21
PREMON1rIONs OF DANGER.
Some Novel Experiences OF q
Veteran Locomotive En-
Rineer.

~ {"
| in nv berth and found the train was
| standing still. I raised the curtains
| and peel+d out. The sun was we'll up
| in the heavens, and the train stood
| in a dsnSe wood away from any liv-
| ing creatures. 1t did not move for
| some time and 1 arose, made my TOT
let and went outside. The train
| stuod partially on a long trestle work
I or open bridge, and l could see
| smoke rising from the end of the
! structure further from US. l walked
| out pas. the locomotiveon the bridge,
where I met q number of gentlemen
| talking.
WHAT is the matter" 1 enquired
of one.
"'Oh, a section of the bridge has
! burned replied the gentleman.
"'Lucky that the engineer saw the
fire in time to save u.s. l remarked
| gazing down at the Water below and
shuddering at the thought Of being
| piled up in u sleeping car, in the
| chasm that yawned for me
"'But the engineer says be DIDN'T
| see any fire when he stopped ex-
claimed one
"'No.' said the engineer whr: stood
by. Il saw no fire. l had a PRESENT.
n,ent rs 1 approached the bridge
Something seemed to warn me that
it was not safe to cross the bridge,
and it came upon me SO strongly
that I just stopped the train and got
out of the cab, and I hadn't walked
0 steps before I saw that the act
bad saved many lives, for tie whole
train would have gone down that
hole, al.hough it is but the length of
two rails. Tue fire didn't show so
much above the ties, rs it was coz
fined mostly to the timbers below.
Right there in the little shed a
Waterman sleeps said the engin
eer. pointing to q diminutive dwell
ing u half dozen yards away, and it
was his duty, and it has been for
years, to be out here and to pass
over the bridge just before and be-
hind u; but somehow l telt that he
was not faithful, that he might be
asle+ p, and I could see in my mind
as I approached the bridge, the whole
train going down to death, and could
hear the cries of the dS ing, so l just
stopped, as | said The Waterman,
sure enough, as asleep. Oh, you
needn't laugh. for this is no! the first
time pres-ntiments have saved lives
when my hand was at the throttle.
No sir, I've been in just this position
before said he, blushing 10 the tips
OF his ii ,gers, as TWO or three gentle
men sm led and whisrled 4 bit.
NO. said lie. I had a forboding of
danger stronger than this q few years
ago.. / was running then on Il divis-
lon of the Sa"du>ky. There is littl'
station. on that road where passenger
train >eldOms stop. 1t has a siding
for freights, however, and there was
nearly always a freight side tracked
as [ passed through cn the fast ex-
press. That little place j. or long
stretch of spledid track, and for years
the engineers had that as a racing
ground, aud / tell you some mighty
good time Was made there. AT the
time [ had this presentiment the ri
valry among the engineers on that
stretch of track was a; its height. 1t
was a sharp winter night that l APP
prOacaed the station on the down
trip. | hadn't stopped there for
three months, and as | went into that
good track with a dash, and ap.
preached the village at a terrible
speed, 1 never thought OF stopping.
the road, and l was congratulatihg
myself, as the fireman drew his
watch, that [ was making the fastest
time on record, and thinking to
myself how I would appal the train
men side tracked as I dashed through.
When a quarter ola mile from the
station something whispered to me
to stop. l didn't want to stop; and
rejecting how chagrined [ would be
if [ had to stop when in the heat of a
successful race, / tossed my head,
opened the throttle a little wider, and
oh, how we flew! Seems to me l
never saw q train come 50 near tly-
ing, and yet she just lay as close to
and smoothly on the track as could
be. Quick as thought l was COM
manded by an inner being to stop,
or it would make a run todeath; and,
without effort, my hands reversed
the engine and applied the air. There
vas nc signal, no whistle or bell
sounded, and the fireman was aston
ished to see my frantic actions. The
train lay still a few feet pas the depot |
andas dumped from my engine l felt |
so embarrassed that l almost burned.
l could make no explanation to the
conductor or trainmen who came
about me. l looked all over the en-, |
CINE. Everything was all right. l
looekd along the train. Nothing ap.
peared wrong. Then I walked down |
the track in front of the engine.
When I had gone less than q hum
dred feet, and beyond the rays of the !
headlight, l ran against a box-car!
1t stood right in front of the engine,
full OH the track. The switch had
been left open and the wind slowed
it out. It was loaded with carbon !
oil. Had l not seen it, scores of per- !
would have been killed and |
burned.
1 am positive that there is such a
thing rs being tort warned contin-
ued the engineer. That warning
which stopped me up or the San |
came only a few months after |
I saved, by a hairs breath, a whoa i
train from being wrecked in a Gull
vert. l was Oaehing along n rainy
night a few months before that. Tue
country was open and my train was
the fast express l had no reason t..
suspect any trouble and didn't; but
told me as 1 wa- ap-
preaching a crossing that I should
stop; and that desire t" stop the train
fastened upon me until l found my
SILT, a minute later, standing beside
my engine. 1t vas so dark I couli
scarcely see my hand before me. l
found the ~culvert filled with eros.
ties, wedg-d down SO 81 ,sedly that
they would have thrown US flat On
our packs, and the work was done
SO well that I would not have T
them had I not stopped and walked
up on them with alantern. Did
l ever see another engineer VIII" was
. believer in presentiment>? Lots of
them. l know oil Jack Crane, and
lack will swear that a foreboding
is surer than sight itself. | renlenl
Der Of a thrilling story that he told
many years ago, and 1 have thought
it every time l have been storped
was running an engine up in
Northern Ohio a few years agu-it
have haon m tho R.]tjr,nrn and