Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-04-10
The Engineers Last Trip.

do you know why / gave up my
locomotive? Well, I'll tell YOU. About
ten years ago / was promoted from a
freight to u passenger engine and was
as proud of my new machine as a boy
with his first pair of copper-toed boots.
l tell YOU old 126 was daisy. Well, i
had been running her for some eighteen
months when had an experience that
made me throw up my job. The bare
remembrance of that night nearly
makes my hair stand on end. 1t was q
cold. dreary night in November, with
the bleak wind blowing regular gale
and the fog so thick that couldn't see
more than thirty feet ahead of the pilot
to save my life. | had left St. Louis
with an unusually big load of passen-
gers, including distinguished party
of gentlemen on their way to Washing
ton. believe my train was the fastest
one running East at that time. Ny
time card called for at least forty miles
an hour. Well, sir, just as l started
something happened that would make
any engineer abandon his trip, but 1
didn't want to seem cowardly and went
ahead. What was it? Why, after /
got my orders from the train dispatch
er's office, and was on my way to my
machine. somebody inside called me
back. My fireman was near me and
said, For God S sake, Jim, don't 90.
You know something awful will happen
it always does when q man goes
back after getting his orders" Well,
hesitated a minute, and then /
thought to myself: That's allnonsense
I'm not superstitious. The fellow
only wanted to give me some trivial
message, and half an hour later l was
rocking on my seat in my cab, dashing
through Illinois ut terrific rate and
keeping my eyes fixed on the two bright
lines of rail in front of me, until they
seemed like flashes of lightning dart
ing into my brain. As / said before, /
could see only short distance ahead
on account of the fog. but | knew any
observation of those bright lines, any
deviation from their straight course,
meant terrible danger, if not death to
my precious load of human lives. Sol
sat there with my hand on the throttle,
and every nerve and muscle strained to
its utmost tension.
L forgot to say that we were nearly
an hour late leaving st. Louis, and |
had orders to make up that lost time
Finally we struck u piece of road which
| knew extended in straight line for
over ten miles. | felt relieved when
we struck this part of the road and
turning to the fireman, | shouted:
Good track ahead, Tom-Tm going
to let her out" He nodded back to me
and pulled open the valve. l could
feel the engine tremble with new mo-
ton as she leaped forward like a
bounded deer, and in another second
it seemed as if we were not even touch
inc the rails. About half way down
this straight stretch of road was q
station and piece of sidetrack for
switch-off freight cars. There was al
ways from three to q dozen cars stand
ing there. AS we approached the point
| thought Of the siding, and could not
help saying to myself: What if that
switch should be misplaced?" The
words were hardly formulated in my
mind when suddenly the two bright
lines in front of me diverged, and for
moment looked like four. Great
God" / cried, 1.-The switch is openr'
There was a sudden swerve of the en-
CINE to the left, aud . loud creaking
noise, and, in desperation, [ reversed
the lever, shut the throttle and waited
with closed eyes the shock which felt
was coming. You cannot conceive the
supreme agony of that awful moment.
1t was too much for me or any other
man TO stand. The last thing | remem-
Der was seeing the sparks fly back from
the driYing-wheels as the locomotive
Numbered on to destruction. The next
instant fell senseless on the floor of
the cab.
'.And you escaped?" asked the re-
porter anXiously.
Escaped? Well, should say so.
There wasn't a freight car on the sid
ing, and the reason the switch had been
changed was because a section gang
was repairing the main track and had
it arranged SO that the siding could be
used until they finished the job. The
result was that we dashed along the
sidetrack and were soon on the main
line again, and when [ came to the
fireman was hanging on to the throttle,
which he had pulled out to the last
notch again, and there he sat laughing
at me. My hair didn't turn gray, but
it was the worst scare [ ever had in my
life, and wouldn't 90 through it again
for fortune. You can. just bet that
when / finished that run | handed in
my resignation and have not steered an
engine since. st Louis GE0be-D DEM
OcT0f