The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-08-29
An EsorSKRw RS AnvENrunE.


iTSfS@
CONFIRMATION.
~ tail eiSst
( Several thrilling accounts oil alleged e1;l
plots Of engineers, creditable apd!othef-
wise, have appeared in the papers otIthef
neighbcrhood, butot that general charaes
ttefwhish might and which might not have
been Baek "a by ttuth. The other nighta
group Of engineers was engaged in filling
with great clouds thcsmoki ng-rocm Of the
railroad mems Y. II. q. A. reading rooms
on Second street ponth. The conversation
turned upon accident and incidents, and
one Of them remarked that the greate,st
stretch Of imseination he had seen lately
oecurTed in an article IN o Minneapolis
evening paper. Butt he said, Il re-
member j thrilling incident that came IN.
der MY personal observation In the East.
/ wasa fireman at the time, and was lying
OF AZ Piedmont, ". Va, on the Balhmote
& Ohio road. II lies at the foot Of the
famous seyentee n-mile grade, with Alta
mont at the other end. The hero
| OF this little adventure was Ea.
aineer John Simpson, Q man VINO
IN been ali over the world and has been
broken all to pieces any number OF times.
| Heshad been through every sort Of &C.
cident knownto the rail and was grit 10
the backbone. Well, one afternoon .
loose camel.back engine was sent out from
Piedmont 10 bring some coal down from
Altamont. There was just time, when
Carson rtarted with her, 70 make Altamont
siding for tho 'cannoniball train coming
East. Carson started out and steamed up
The heavy grade. He turned the curve &C
the TOP OF The mountain ata good speed,
and Just ahead q him saw the 'cannoiis
ball coming tearing along the level. a
collision seemed inevitable and he re.
yersed his engine and jumped. That Old
came: back p!onghed along, gradually
che ckint her speed, until che came TO o
stop not thirty feet from the approaching
train, and then, gathering hesdWsy, she
/ shot ofi in the opposis e direction and went
laundering down the grade: You 1el;
lows can imagine how that well coa!ed and
\ well watered engine, with the throttle
wide open, went hummtng down the
grade. a dispatch was hurried down 70
4 Piedmont: *. ~ !. =
".,Yild engine, well coaled and watsred,
coming down, the grade, vide open. clear
Twas 81 Piedmont, and Itell you there
vas excitement. Blythe time the message
came we could hear that big engine COM
ing, and We knew that II was coming about
| q mile and d quarter q minute. The track
was cleared, and presently II came roaring
and tearing along and passed through
Piedmont like o streak. Bill Clements,
master Of transportation, happened TO be
there and he sent abnlletin ahead, otier-
ling 500 reward TO any engineer that
4 would stop IL before reaching Climber
Iland. John Simpson was at Cumbe rland,
4 heard the offer and said TO the train dis
4 patcher: Give me an engine and thai
;Imoney's mine. The engine was giyen
ilhim. and without q fireman Of
The started. He touched her up and
went to meet the runaway camel
back as cool as 4 am this minute
/ Pretty. soon he heard her coming, tearins
lthipg5 wide open as usual. When she 1t
j got within half q mile Of him, John
lstopped and began TO bach, going gradu'
|ally faster until the two engines were
knowing at nearly the same rate OF speed,
with the runaway grad ually nearing him.
Ca they swept, the mile dropping away,
Iuntil az last the runaway touched him
then he shut of steam and let the funa'
sIway tow him along, while he crept across
land shut her Of. Half an hour later he
brought the two engines into Cumberland
and the next day he was $500 better oil.
4 T.What became Of him, tinallyN =;
sHe was killed In an acGid dent near Net's
4 Siding, o. He died at his post too, like
the brave man he was.