The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1885-02-17

ne ran ahead, gave leap, got under The
red lights of the lamps. which probably
blinded him, and then doubled 10 front
of the engine as he would in front OF a
idog. across the track. looked out. to
see If he would come in sight again, bu
he did rot, and supposed he had been
run over or passed by, and forgot him
But when they we're cleaning out my
CRATE at Seestadt, the fellow. with the po-
ker called up from the ash pitt 'Hornig.
Hornie, you have brought roast with
you! thought the man must he crazy,
and got down aud looked. As sure az
am sitting here, there lsy nv rabbit Of
the Bigitz woods in nv ash-pau. dead
and haIf.cooked The ash.pan must have
caught him as he was making jump
He must have been in hurry to gel
roasted"
- Ehe- stary-al the yonag eesieees Nss
received with loud laughter. ~ :
"Laugh away over the poor beast
growled Zmmermsnn filing the glasse.
mean while. "You don't know how bat
it feels TO lie under fre.box"
"And do you know how it feels ?" sale
several voices in tones indicating grea
doubt.
81 know all about It as you fellow,
very well know,and have gone through
all the experience there can be between
the bottom Of the rails and the top of th,
smokestack," answered Zimmerman.
''But you never have been in the ash
pan ?" said his companions.
"Not quite" answered the old engi
neer very gravelv, "but under land par
OF me pretty nearly in it, too But tel
you | have been where fine train o
handsome cars, full Of jolly people, in /
momeut-before you could put youl
baud to whistle or put on brake wa.
turned into heap OF kindling wood and
pieces OF bolts, axles and wheels, out o.
which came groans and cries for help
and around which people cried in de-
spair. l have been where locomotives
leaped like kittens off the rails, down toe
bank, and rolled over two or three times
wheels 10 air, smoke-stsck under, and
Everything was all steam. ruins, fire, his
sing and screaming. have been through
all this, but in thirty FIVE years Of rail
roading mv heart never stood quite 80
still as it did under the ash-pan"
"Tell ua all about 1t Father Z;mmer-
manu." called chorus of voices, whose
tones showed that they were accustomed
to make themselves beard above the rat
tIing aud clattering of the engine.
"Well, well, will, although hate to
talk about it," be answered as he slowly
united bis tobacco-pouch and began to
oil his short pipe. "Souethiug thumps
hard here under my third rib whenever
think about it,"
"You see, boys, the hands that em
broidered this tobacco. pouch came near
becoming widows hands, and my Carl
and Julie would never have been born, IL
you could have called me big Frank
then as you now"
"How 30. Father Zimmermann 2n
"Just light your stylish cigars-thev
suit you fellows in glass cabs jus. as the
short pipes used to suit as sturdy fellows
In the open sir-and hand back your
glasses. Then hold your tongues till ]
get through.
"On New Years Eve in the year 1S45,
full thirty years ago, it was terrible
weather, as it is to-day--drifting snow
and driving sleet l was the junior run
ner at the main station in our city, and
had only lately been married. You know
the station is miserable place for run
nipg Whichever wav the wind bio VS. it
catches you there. The road enters the
city through narrow cutting, and one
of the two tracks always gets blocked
before The snow has been blowing an
hour. Just beyond the cutting, 10 the
third house on Gardner street, behind
the old oil mill, which we cursed so often
because We had to cut off s'esm on pas.
sing for fear the sparks might set the
shingle roof on fire. Just behiud THE
mill I1ived with nv Louise and my eld.
est boy, Frank, WHO is now foreman in
Rudrich's shops.
$50 on New Years Eve in 1S45 came
in from Griesthal with teavy freight
train, having been standing fourteen
hours on the engine, with the thermom
eter near zero and the snow aud sleet
blowing. l was stiff with cold and was
anticipating enjoying my New Years
punch. IL was getting dark when came
In, and through the station with its hun-
dreds of lights on the platforms and
switches, as II it we're great Christmas
festival. Sorry cheer was there for me
On account of the Christmas holidays
some FIVE hundred cars had collected at
the station, and they all bad to be made
up into trains 10 order that they might
be returned Immediately after New
Years.
"Hardly had I got off my engine in
the round house when the yard maste
came up and said: Zmmermann, z Hsu-
ser has been taken sick. You will have
to take the third switching engine in his
place. .Jeruealemr said |. hut hope
it won't take till midnight, yard master
| must be at home by that time or the
New Year will be unlucky.'
"Nonsense,' said the ward master
you stick to it till you get through, and
away he went through the snow.
II took 1t to heart more than it de-
served, bat the chill which came over
me when | came out with the engine !
ascribed to the fearful storm that blew
in my face. The whole air was full Of
snow and cold mist, and when
The white gusts drove across the track
could hardly see the smoke-sssck.
"Of the lamp signals you could only
get now snd then glimpse of red white
or green; and Of the horn and mouth
whistle signals, (signals are sometimes
given by blowing horns or whistles on
Germsn railroads J. what with the howl
ing of the wind among the cars and the
singing Of the telegraph wires and the
rolling of the cars and the whistling OF
be engines, you could hear only just
enough to be snre that you didn't under
stand them. OF the yard calls
YOU could understand absolutely nothing
except that he was calling.
'In the midst of this some two hun.
dred cars we're being pushed in every di
reciion at the same time by three differ.