St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-23
AN ENGINEERS ADVENTURE.
y Wild Engine, on a Down Grade,
Created CONSERVATION,
But was stopped Without Damage by
Brave Engineers Device.

Several thrilling accounts of alleged eX-
ploitS or engineers, cTeditable and otherwise,
have appeared in the papers of the neigh
bOrhOOd. but of that general character which
might and which might not have been
backed by truth. The other night a group
OF engineers was engaged in filling with
great clouds the smOking-room of the rail-
road mems Y. NJ. c. A. reading rooms on
Second street south. The conversation
turned upon accidents and incidents, and
one of them remarked that the greatest
stretch of imagination he had seen lately
occurred in an article in a Minneapolis even
ing paper. But" he said, Il remember a
thrilling incident that came under my per-
Sonal observation in the East. | was fire
man at the time, and was lying off at Pied
mont, w. Va, on the Baltimore &
Ohia road. 1t lies at the foot of the famous
Seyenteen-mile grade, with AltamOnt at the
other end. The hero of this little adventure
was Engineer John Simpson, a man who
has been all over the world and been broken
all to pieces any number of times. He had
been through every sort of accident known
to the rail and wass9 rit to the backbone.
Well, one afternoon a loose camel-back en-
CINE was sent out from Piedmont to bring
some coal down from AltamOnt There
was Just time, when Carson started with
her, to make Altamont siding for the can
nOn-bal train coming East. Carson started
out and steamed up the heavy grade
He turned the curve at the top of the
mountain at a good speed, and Just
ahead of him saw the 'cannOn-ball' COM
ing tearing along the level. A collision
seemed inevitable, and he reversed his
engine and jumped. That old camel-back
UIOnBhpi along GRADUALLY nbaol-i,,o-
speed, until she came to a stop not thirty
feet from the approaching train, and then,
gathering Roadway, she shot off in the OPP
pOSite direction and went laundering down
the grade. You fellows can imagine how
that well cOaled and watered engine, with
the throttle wide open. went humming down
the grade. A dispatch was hurried down
to Piedmont:
Z" Wild engine, well coaled and watered,
coming down the grade, wide open. Clear
everything"
Il was at Piedmont, and tell you there
was excitement. By the time the
message came we could hear that big
engine coming, and we knew it was
coming about mile and a quarter a
minute. The track was cleared, and pres
emily it came roaring and tearing along and
passed through Piedmont like a streak Bill
N4ttiiNAitf AAStStCl VI JlduS
pened to be there and he sent bulletin
ahead, offering $500 reward to any engineer
that would stop the it before reaching Cum
berland. John Simpson was at Cumberland.
heard the offer and said to the train dis
patcher: Give me an engine and that
moneys mine The engine was given him,
and without fireman OFF he started. He
touched herup and went to meet the runaway
camel-back as cool as L am this minute.
Pretty soon he heard her coming, tearing
things wide open as usual. When she got
within half a mile of him, John stopped
and began to back. going gradually faster
until the two engines were moving at
nearly the same rate of speed, with
the runaway gradually nearing him. On
they swept, the miles dropping away. until
at last the runaway touched him; then he
shut off steam and let the runaway tow him
along, while he crept across and shut her
off. Half an hour later he brought the two
engines into Cumberland and the next day
he was $500 better Off
what became of him, finally?"
''He was killed in an accident near Neff's
Siding, o. He died at his post, too, like
the brave man he was