Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-10-17

WHY THEY LOSE NERvE.-"Oh, yes,
engineers do lose their nerve" said Old
Throttle; especially one who has night
run all the time. You see in the night
time an engineers eyes, thoughts, and all
are confined to a very small space; it's
nearly or quite dark inside the cab, ana if
his engine is workn' 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 thoughts 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 his field OF
'taters look good and wonders if the little
patch at home will turn out as well; he
sees a feller iishin', and remembers the
last mess OF trout he canght in the Shohola;
he sees a 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.
And this he can take in, and be tendin'
to business strictly, but in the night time
all is changed, and his visions and
thoughts, as | said, are confined to The
small spot made visible and distinct by the
headlight, and his ideas naturally follow
the rails. He remembers that the culvert
Just ahead is the very place 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 were smashed and
piled on top of each other, but it might
have been the ten cars Of emigrants that
were coupled in the car, and it isn't pleas.
ant to think of what might have been.
"Just around the curve is the place
where the engine struck drawhead some
careless brakemen 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 experierce ced while the
engine was turning over and crushing its
mad way through the ties, 'tisn't pleasant
to think of it. He flies over huge
emhankment at pace of forty miles an
hour, and thinks of the feelings that were
his on a certain trip last winter when a
side rock came crashing through the side
of the cab, while passing over the same
embankment.
I'm the cut just ahead is where, on the
last trip, watchmap, intent ON watching
a train on the opposite track, had forgot
ten the express was due, and the horror
and agony depicted on his face as the
pilot threw him high in the air, will never
be forgotten. neither will his mangled and |
blood stained body, picked up and cared
for as soon as the train could be stopped |
Aud SO every mile of tho road something
of this kind is brought to mind. as his
thoughts follow the circle of light ahead |
which flashes and changes constantly, |
now shining on bridge, now showing an
embankment, flashes its rays now on
house and 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 his trip--anywhere |
off the rail.
"Why, I've known men to give up the |
best trains on the road and big pay because |
they had to run in the night time, and !
take trains that were much harder to run |
and poorer pay, simply because the latter
run in daylight. Yes, engineers do