The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-03-07
ONE-ARMED MEN.

GA one-armed man for emergencies every
time" exclaimed an old railroad official IN
the heat of an argument on the prevention OF
collisions and other accidents. never
knew one to fail in time of danger. Inc loss
of an arm seems to increase their wits, ana
can name several instances OF their display OF
nerve and invention when other men were OF
no use Do you remember Ross Marchman
No? Well, I'll tell you the kind OF feliow
he was when he worked under me on the
Piedmont Airline road.
ssThere is. not far from the South Carolina
line. small town called Sewanee. 1t is sew
eral hours ride from Atlanta Ca, and con-
tains about 500 people. The telegraph
operator at the depot is station agent express
agent, ticket agent, truckman and porter. In
fact. he runs the whole business, and his is
responsible position He often works all day
and all night, and it is a strain to keep up
with the work in the busy season. Ross
Marchman was telegraph operator and-so-
forth at Sewanee. He was about % years old,
and had lost his right arm. How in the
world he ever managed to perform his multi
plicity of duties is a mystery, but he was
never found wanting in any OF the quahhca-
tons necessary to successful accomplish
ment of every task. We all had confidence
in Marchman One night in November, 1852,
he was sitting half asleep over his key, worn
out with fatigue, when he was aroused by
hearing himself called by the train dispatcher.
He answered, and the following order came
over the wires Side track No. II, north
bound, Sewanee, Am. Hold for extra No.
3. south bound, 1O4 AM There was moth
ing unusual in the order Marchman : o. KID
it and made the necessary preparations for
tagging down No. ~, which. being through
freight, did not stop at way stations unless
signaled to DO SO.
1.-THE night was dark and stormy, and the
wind blew in gusts, driving the rain into
every crack and crevice. The track from the
north past the station had a heavy down-grade,
and it was the custom for engineers to blow q
long blast on the whistle when their train
crossed the summit, some half mile away.
No. 10 was on time, and when Marchman
heard the blast he took his lantern and went
out on the track The headlight rose over
the summit like full moon climbing the
hills, and flashed down the rails. The ram
came down in torrents, the wind whlstled
past the corners of the station with an omin-
Gus sound, the train came laundering on
Marchman raised his lantern and swung it
across the track, but before the signal could
be given ftful gust of wind put out the
light The train was not two hundred yards
Off and had not slackened its speed. There
was no time to get another lamp. 1t was
moment of horror to the poor operator. No.
8, with its freight of passengers, was coming
just beyond the town-the two trains would
meet = collision - destruction - death = all
passed before his mind like a flash of light
ming. He felt the quivering of the ties be-
meath his feet as he stood in the glare OF the
light now fearfully close. Suddenly his hand
sought his pocket; there was flash, sharp
report of pistol, and bullet went crashing
through the headlight. The lamp was extin-
guished, and as the engine passed him March
man threw his pistol into the cab window
"Well, the train was stopped, and the con-
ductor coming forward to see what was
wrong, reached Marchman just in time to re-
ceive his orders, when the latter, overcome
with the terrible strain, fell to the ground.
The train was run into a siding, and No.
dashed by at the rate of about forty miles an
hour. Not passenger dreamed of what had
happened.
''Of course" continued the official, eve
remembered Marchman in substantial way.
That one arm, though was the making of
him."