The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-12-05


Commercial printing, bosh Daaia anl se1Aaeo1aa
y We s s:e0 scat % hand fun line q Issll 1,a.A
An1Ha1aEBs,s STORY.
eorty.xavs Years q the 1eetooasa-xAs
Romantic Record Of 1asy zdss.
from The Montgomery, Ala, Advertiser.
Probably the Oldest locomotive engi.
neer in point OF service in the South. II
not in america, went out ON the Eufau-
la train the other evening. Old Uncie
Ned Graves, aged 70, was the mars
and the record of his long snd toilsome
life would fill volume and be as en-:
tertaining as the most highly colored
romance of the day. Uncle Ned began
work for the Jersey Central forty
seven years ago, soon after the first
shovelful of earth WAS thrown up at
Savannah. which was the beginning o.
the present great Central system. Dur
ing the first year or two lie worked in
the machine shops, and growing tired
of that lie was by his own request put
on an engine, and for forty. five years
lie stood on the footboard and held the
reins of the iron horse. A few months
ago he retired from active service on
life pension from the Central and with
. life pass over the entire system in his
pocket. He was we'll fixed in the
worlds goods, il is said, having some
$15, 1000 in real estate in Macon, where
he resides, and about $4,000 in bank.
II have had some mighty narrow es-
capes during these forty.seven years"
he said to reporter on the train.
Somehow I've always come out OF ac-
cidents unhurt, and I've had lot OF
'em, let me tell you"
Being encouraged by the reporter.
Uncle Ned proceeded:
Coming out of Savannah one Sunday,
/ noticed the clouds looked rainy and
stormy, and felt little uneasy. I'm
not superstitious, but somehow had
presentiment that evening. Along to-
wards night is. began to rain in torrents
and the wind blew stiff gale. 1 told
my fireman there were lively times
ahead of us, and put the old engine
out for all she was worth. Nothing
happened until we had got in an hour
or two Of Macon, and says to my fire.
man: After we get over the hill ahead
yonder and under good headway We can
count on being in our beds asleep in au
hour and half The night was dark
nc Tho ookooL onI xyo ron rs~hk
down to Warner creek before we knew
it, and, bless God, three spans of the
bridge had been washed out. But We
discovered it too late to reverse, and
pulling the engine wide open we sat
back and waited for the crash, which
came in less than no time, and down We
went in the seetl,ing kissing flood. II
was an awful time we had down in War
ner creek that night and more than one
soul went to heaven, but was spared
unhurt.
Another time I went through
bridge over Bigger creek on the Col
umbus and Macon line, and five cars
followed me. That was ahorrible time.
One of the curious features Of the ac-
cident was that of an iron rod tearing
lady's bonnet from her head and going
through partition and piercing right
through the body Of man sitting in
the smoking car with cigar in his,
mouth. He was pinned to the oppo-'
site wall, where he hung and died. ]
was never IN worse accident than
that"
"And one morning just before start
ing out of Macon / told the bows:
Well boys, guess the engine will
turn over on Uncle Ned to. day. and
sure enough she did. She jumped the
track and turned bottom side up right
over me, but was not even scratched.
"Yes," resumed the old man after
long pause. during which his brain SEEM
ed to be teeming with the memories OF
. long life. II have had many narrow
escapes and exciting adventures. Dur
ing that awful yellow fever epidemic in
Savannah, in 1854, during which people
dropped about like dying sheep by the
hundreds, ran an engine every night
for six long weeks, and never closed my
eyes between sunset and sunrise, work.
ing all the night through, and never
caught the fever. But it caught ms in
Savannah in 1876, and came near kill
ing me. I have never been we'll since
then, and think that fever caused me
to have the dropsy. which I have got
at this moment. The dropsy is mighty
hard on me. mighty hard, mighty hard.
During the war they used to send me
with trains over to Salt river in Virginia
to haul salt for the confederate gov
ernment."
81 have served under all the presi-
dents the Central has ever hsd-W. w.
Gordon, the first; Cuyler, Wadley,
Alexander and Raoul. Gordon WAS
great man, he was. I've seen him many
q time trudging along the track in the
rain and mud, with q bundle ON his
back, inspecting the road. People
called him crazy for doing that way,
but he had his all IN the G Centrsl-slaves,
lands and everything. Mr.. Wadley was
great man, too, and Mr.. Raoul is
great"
"Union Springs! !" shouted tho brakes
man, and Uncle Ned slowly arose from
his seat, aud leaning over till his face
almost touched that of the reporter, he
said: "Tbey say that corporations
have got no soul, my lad, but don't you
ever believe it. Mayb4. it's so, though,
maybe it's SO. But it don't apply to The
Central. The Central has been as good
to me as q strong man could be to his
feeble old: father, and please God, /
want to get we'll enough to drive an en-
gine once more. I rode on the engine
little bit this morning, and it makes
me feel more like my old self than I've
felt before in a long time. Good.by,
lad. good-by. There, there. thank you,
thank you; much obliged for your
Kindness"
A moment later and the old man was
good-naturedly joking with hackman
down in the dusty road below. "Drive
me to Mr.. Fox's," lie said, II want to
see the boy" n $50
Poor old Uncle Ned; his is . wonder
full record. But steam in the engine Of
his life is slowly cooling out, and the
last brake must soon be applied. One
fact about his life is that he hes always
been sober.