Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-01-22

us has gone into our engines. B1A
boys. in that moment which happened
between my push and my falling flat
on my face / did more thinking than
ever did at any other time between
Easter and Whit Sunday.
First thought of home. the warm
room and everything in it, and the New
Years bell-ringing, and the New Years
church in the morning-Well, we won't
speak about that; then on the Drill.
masters helper, who was lying under a
cloak on the snow, and then I calcu-
lated concerning the train that was
running over me as clearly as if had
it to make up. Why was 1t coming up
the wrong track. in which had walked
the down trackp And Immediately
understood what had forgotten in my
reverie while walking home. At noon
l had seen the up track covered deep in
snow. and that was why the train went
out ont the in track. Then plainly saw
the train standing; there could not De
more than ten or eleven freight cars in
it, all our company's cars; they were all
high above the rails; they would do me
no harm-I was lying fiat enough be-
tween the rails. But the engine, the
ash-pan of the engine? The three en-
gines that still had steam up at the sta
ton knew as well as my tobacco box,
the 'Wittekind' would pass over me
harmless even if 1 had been larger than
[ was then; the Hermann also, per-
haps, might be merciful to me, if it
didn't carry too much coal and water,
and if the gravel ballast on which ]
was lying were not too thick; but under
the Sirius one of the new, low-built
elephants. I would be dead man
worse than dead man, man slowly
torn to pieces and crushed. Now,
which engine was it that was coming?
'sAll this, you see, boys, 1had thought
out between the push and the fall, but
when once was lying down all calcu-
lating ceased, and only stretched my
self out instinctively, and drew in my
breath and made myself as thin as a
board, and counted the axles that
passed over my head. Every ping and
pang spoke out plain syllables which
sounded like: "A wretched death-a
wretch-ed death And now some
thiag heavy catches me; no, it is moth
ing yet; it only slips and slides rafting
over me lengthwise, feeling cold ON my
neck; it is a coupling chain hanging
down. But now it comes; the ground
ly, then more and more violently; very
slowly it comes; then saw on one side,
though I had my head pressed down in
hollow, that the rail and the snow
and the rolling wheels passing me were
lighted with red light that kept get
ting brighter and brighter; that was
the engine fire shining through the ash
pan. Now felt it getting hot on my
bare head and neck. The ties sunk
down; the rails cracked and bent; the
ground shook violently under me; there,
there it is! And Immediately it caught
me heavily ON the back, pressed for
ward-God have mercy! then rip, tear,
on me tore in two-and puff,
puff, rolling, laundering and stamping,
the engine had passed over me. The
ground was still trembling behind it.
From the sky above the snow again was
falling on me.
"How ever got on my feet again !
can not say. There stood and trembled
and saw the red lights of the engine
disappear in the curve, looking to me
like the eyes of Death himself.
"Then felt myself all over to find
what the engine had torn off from my
body, and found that the two regula-
ton buttons were missing from the
back of my uniform overcoat. l went
to the nearest switchman and borrowed
a lantern, and looked up the buttons
in the snow. But when we were at
home sitting around the punch-bowl, in
which sometimes 1 put too much spirits
and sometimes too much sugar, Louise,
amazed, said to me. Husband, what
is the matter of you tonight. You are
all trembling and don't say a word,
and then my senses and speech came
back to me, and I showed Louise the
buttons and told her the story and said,
holding the buttons between my fingers:
See there, your husband was only so
far from terrible death this evening"
Look; have the two buttons here and
will carry them on me till death comes
in earnest"
The old engineer unbuttoned his coat
and took out two buttons bearing the
arms of the King, which he carried on
a cord over his rough breast.
"And now you know why pitied the
poor creature in the ash-pan. I have
told you the story, because the talk led
to it; otherwise do not like to talk
about it.; felt the death agony then,
and no Christian likes to call that to
mind. Don't let it weaken your cour-
age. You will need that in the New
Year as in the old one.