Smyrna times., 1886-05-12
A Fearful Trip.
IN A LOCOMOTIVE CAB WITH A MAD
ENGINEER-A STRUGGLE TO THE
DEATH,

OEAIas
was in the second year of my ap-
premiership as fireman on No. 63 of
the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
road, when got such a setback one
night as few firemen ever lived through.
The incident happened about Is years
ago, but every feature of it comes to
my mind as clear as if the affair occur
red last night. My engineer was NAM
ed Bob Ripley. He was a ioyiaI,
whole-souled fellow, never going be-
hind a glass of beer, and was known
all along the line as q sober and trusty
man.
Well, all of sudden, bad luck struck
him. He had little home, which was
taken away by land shark. He left
Cincinnati one night for Toledo on his
usual run, and returned to find his wife
dead. She had some heart trouble,
and died without q moments warning.
Within fortnight his boy baby sick
ened and died, and that left Bob with
out home or family. l tell you it made
an awful change in him. He was off
for two or three weeks and when he
came back to the cab 1 could scarcely
recognize him. He had wild, queer
look to his eyes, strange sound to his
voice, and he was so sullen and morose
that l almost feared to speak to him on
matters of business. l made two or
three trips with him. and but for fear
of hurting his feelings l should have
made application to be changed.
1t was the third or fourth trip after
he returned to the road when we left
Cincinnati one November night, and as
we got out into the country l caught
Bob smiling and chuckling. The wild
ness of the night seemed to strike
responsive chord in his soul. Old '63
seemed to be in uncommon good spirits,
too, for she was sliding right along
with heavy train, and making no fuss
over it. l made some remarks about
it, but Bob had no reply. Indeed, he
acted as if he was alone in the cab.
didn't like the situation a bit, for had
a suspicion that he wasn't quite right
in his head, and he was also squirting
her beyond schedule time. We were
to pass a side-tracked accommodation
about thirty miles out of Cincinnati.
She ought to be in eight minutes ahead
of our time, but 63 was OVerreaching
schedule time so fast that l feared a
collision. The conductor had his eyes
open, however, and at a stop about
twenty miles out he came forward and
cautioned Bob to slow her down. We
had overreached five minutes in that
short run. Bob answered surly enough,
but as we pulled out again he Obeyed
orders and checked her down to lose
the extra minutes gained.
We had passed the siding all right
when noticed that his nervousness
increased. He would whistle for cross
ings where none existed, and he would
tOOt suppOsitious cattle off the track.
Once, seeming to ignore my presence
altogether, he opened the furnace door
and piled in the fuel, although we were
carrying more steam than l had ever
seen on.
At Hamilton 1 was fully resolved to
speak to the conductor if he came for
ward and gave me opportunity, but he
did not. 1t was when l returned to
the cab after oiling up that Bob looked
up at me with start, as if surprised to
see me, and said:
Jim, Pm thinking of them"
Yes, Bob, but they are better off y
1 sOOthingly said. "You must bear ur
like man. It's sad enough, God
knows, but you must meet it braveIy. .
Did you see - ?'
"What ?" l asked as he suddenly
checked himself.
He did not answer. He looked al
his watch, signaled me to ring the bell
and in a moment more we were of
The night was growing wilder, and we
were not ten minutes out of Hamilton
when made up my mind that there
was trouble close at hand. Bob turned
to look at me and then in a Way t
prove that he meditated evil, and from
the way he kept the whistle going the
passengers behind must have supposed
the track to be swarming with livins
distractions. We were about half way
to Dayton, and had Just replenisheC
the fire, when Bob suddenly gave he
all steam. 1t seemed to me as if old g.
took a clean jump of 10 feet as she fell
the extra steam, and 1 shouted my
alarm. The words were hardly uttered
before he was upon me.
You've got to die with mer' h
screamed as he clutched my arms, anC
I'm not exaggerating a bit when l tel
you that his eyes looked like Goals O
fire.
1 was by far the stronger man of tn,
two, but in his first he dashed m,
about in dreadful way, and had al
most pulled me to the steps before
called up my muscle. Then I did m,
best to save him. He was bound to g
off, and was bound to prevent, and
as we pulled and tugged at each other
the train Wss running so close to mil
a minute that none of the passenger
cared to reduce the fraction. 1 thinl
our struggle lasted about five minutes
l was gradually drawing him back int,
the tender, and was wondering how
could secure him, when he suddenl,
shut his teeth on my right wrist ant
bit and tore like dog. / had to lie
go my clutch and as did so he turned
and leaped of, uttering a cry whicl
rang in my ears for weeks after.
1t was high time the steam was shu
off. AS l afterward learned, ever,
passenger was hanging ON and prayin
to heaven, for the dullest of them kneI
that something had happened on tn
locomotive. brought her to a stand
still as soon as possible, and when tn
conductor reached the cab we baeke
up to look for poor Bob's body. w
: found it about two miles back, and
was shocking sight. He had struc
Il stump head first, and head and fac
were simply bloody mass of flesh.
/ ran the train into Dayton, and W
had scarcely come to a standstill befor
; l was seized with a chill, and had to b
helped to the hotel. 1 was Just clea
broken down under the mental straiI
and it was plump six weeks before
crept out of my bed. l was determir
ed never to step foot on an engine, bu
,, when health came back got my nerv
again, and the result was that / finish
ed my apprenticeship and took tn
/, other side of the cab.-NelO York Sul
/ The Grant monument fund has mad
= no progress to speak of for months, an
= the committee are convinced this
4 would be contributors are waiting unit
c decision shall be reached as to th
h character and cost of the memOria
n The fund has not yet reached $4,000,
but it is believed it will increase raj
idly when a conclusion is reached :
/ clear majority desire some sort of
3 philanthropic institution, but Mr.
: Grant is understood to be in favor of