The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-03-28
The Engineers Last Trip.

'.Do you know why gave up my 10
comotive? Well, I'll tell you. About
ten years ago was promoted from a
freight to passenger, and / was as
proud of my new machine as boy with
his first pair of copper-toed boots. /
tell You old 1913 was daisy. Well. /
had been running her for some eighteen
months when had the experience that
made me throw up my job. The bare
remembrance of that night nearly makes
my hair stand on end. 1t was a cold,
dreary night in November, with the
wind blowing a regular gale, and the
fog so thick that l couldn't see more
than thirty feet ahead of the pilot to
save my life. l had left St. Louis with
an unusually big load of passengers, in
GLIDING distinguished party of gentle
men on their way to Washington. be-
lieve my train was the fastest one run
ming East at that time. My time-card
called for at least forty miles an hour.
Well, sir, just before started something
happened that would make many an en-
gineer abandon his trip, but l didn't
want to seem cowardly and went ahead.
What was it? Why, after / got my or
ders from the train dispatcher's Office,
and was on my way to my machine
somebody inside called me back. My
fireman was near ME and said: For
Gods sake, Jim, don't go. You know
something awful will happen-it always
does.when a man goes back after get
ting his orders Well, l hesitated a
moment, and then thought to myself:
That's all nonsense-l'm not super
stitious.' The fellow only wanted to
give me some trivial message, and half
an hour later was rocking on my seat
in the cab, dashing through Illinois at
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 darling into my brain. As l
said before, l could see only a short
distance ahead on account of the fog,
but l 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. So l sat there with my hand on
the throttle, and every nerve and mus
Gle strained to its utmost tension.
II forgot to say that we were nearly
an hour late leaving st. Louis, and l
had orders to make up this lost time.
Finally we struck a piece of road which
| knew extended in straight line for
over ten miles. l felt relieved when
we struck this part of the road and
turning to the fireman, I shouted:
Good track ahead, Tom-I'm going to
let her out He nodded back at me and
[ pulled open the valve. l could feel
the engine tremble with new motion
as she leaped forward like a bounded
deer, and in another second it seemed
as if we were not even touching the
rails. About half way down this stretch
of straight road there was station and
q piece of side track for switch-off
freight cars. There was always from
three to a dozen cars standing there.
As we approached this point l thought
of the siding, and could not help saying
to myself, What if that switch should
be misplaced The words were hardly
in my mind when suddenly
the two bright lines in front of me d.
verged and for a moment looked like
four, Great God, cried, the switch
is open.' There was a sudden swerve
Of the engine to the left, and a loud
creaking noise, and, in desperation l
reversed the lever, shut the throttle.
and waited with closed eyes and sus-
pended breath the shock which felt
was coming. You cannot conceive the
agony of that awful moment.
1t was too much for me or any other
man to stand. The last thing l re-
membered was seeing the sparks fly
back from the driving wheels as the To-
connective 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. 1 should say so.
There wasn't freight car on the sid
nc, and the reason the switch had been
was because a section gang
vas repairing the main track and had
it so that the siding could be
used until they finished the job. The
result was that we dashed along the
side track and were soon on the main
line again, and when L came to the
fireman was hanging on to the throt-
lie, which he had pulled out to the last
notch again, and there he sat laughing
1t me. Well, l tell you it was no
laughing matter for me. My hair didn't
urn gray, but it was the worst scare
[ ever had in my life, and l wouldn't
20 through it again for fortune. You
IAN just bet that when l finished that
run 1 handed in my resignation, and
I've never Steered AN enUine since