Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-05-23
AN ExGIxEKR,s STORY.
Running Away for Lifs from . wild
Engine.

cident am about to. relate. / had
passenger run of nine hours, beginning
1T 7 O'Clock p. NJ. For nearly three
years had locomotive named after q
railroad official, Ben. Davis, and ] got
to know that piece Of machinery better
than any man ever knew his horse. You
may buy two watches Of the same
make, of the same jeweller, at the same
time, and, while one will keep excellent
time and give good satisfaction, the
other will have off spells. 1t is the
same with two locomotives. While
"Ben. Davis" would make regular
trips, day after day, for months, with
out giving me the least trouble or want
ing cents worth of repairs, other To-
comotiyes from the same shop were in
the hands OF the pepairers as often as
out ON the road.
One of our freight engineers was
man named George Roby. He came on
to our road from some line in New Eng
land, and gave good satisfaction for
about three months. Then whiskey got
the better Of him, and he went to the
dogs. One day, after his fireman had
brought the train into Columbus, with
Roby drunk and asleep on the floor
of the cab, he got his blue envelope.
The idea somehow lodged in his
head that the officials were down
on him, and he swore be would have
revenge for being discharged. One
afternoon be turned up down the road,
and was noticed to be drinking heavily
and to have the bearing Of man bent
on some desperate deed. This was at
a station eighteen miles from Column
bus, and on gloomy April evening. l
was due there at 1928, and it was
two-minute stop. A mixed freight al
WAYS side-tracked there for us to pass,
and then followed US down the line.
Well, | was there on this special
evening on time, as usual, having bag
gage, express, and three coaches. it
began to drizzle just before We reached
the station, and | saw that we were in
for a dark night and slippery track.
did not see Reby, nor did any one tell
me that he had shown up there. |
noticed that that freight train was un.
usually long, and that it was pulled By
one Of the biggest engines on the road.
Three or four people got of, and perhaps
IS many got on, and We were Oft on
the second. 1t was run OF seven
miles to the next stop, and my schedule
was thirty-seven miles an hour. We
had not yet come to standstill at the
next stop when the telegraph operator,
whose face was as white as snow, ran
alongside, and called to me
"There's q wild engine behind you
for heay-"
lie ran back to the conductor, and in
ten seconds that official rushed up and
shouted to me:
ats a runaway engine-pull out
at once !"
He yelled "All aboard !" sprang
for the steps Of car, and away we
went, some of the people getting of or
on being flung down as they jostled
each other. After we left the station
where the freight was side-tracked
a brakeman ran down the track to
open the switch. as he did so Roby
mounted the engine with cooked re-
yolyer in hand, and drove the engineer
and fireman off. lie had previously
uncoupled her from the train without
being detected. He ran the engine out
on the main line and half mile be-
yond. Then he filled up the fire-box
saw that she had plenty Of water,
pulled the throttle wide open, and
jumped off. That was how we came to
have q runaway engine behind us. AS
soon as the engineer was driven from
the cab he ran into the station and in
formed the operator, and about the
time the runaway started off we got
the news. We were about six miles
ahead Of her. That meant about six
minutes.
When pulled out supposed the
programme was for some OF the station
folks to run down and open the switch,
so that the runaway would be ditched,
but it appeared that the agent was so
dreadfully ratified that he did not at
tempt this step until too late. The
switch was forty rods from the station,
and Just as the employee reached it the
runaway came roaring past. My next
stop was about ten miles distant. |
reasoned it out in about a minute that
if the runaway was ditched the fact
would be telegraphed ahead. If
she wasn't. that fact would also
be clicked over he wires, and | would
get some sign or signal as we passed.
If she was following US there would be
no time to switch in, and my hair stood
up at the idea of trying to outrun her.
/ made the ten miles in twelve and q
half minutes. A mile away began
footing the whistle, and as we neared
the station, still flying, leaned out to
look for the agent. He was on the plat
form. If be held up his hand | was to
stop. But he did not. On the con-
trary, be waved his arm down the line
for me to keep on, and knew that we
were in for it. The runaway could not
be over three minutes behind, and there
would not be time to turn her in on the
siding here.
The next stop was eleven miles away,
and it was a good piece Of track. Lit
tie by lutte gave her more steam, and
after the first mile | knew that we were
reeling off mile every minute. There
was train enough to hold us steady,
and the track was straight, and but for
the awful roar it would have been easy
to imagine we were flying. The agent
ahead would let me know by signal, as
the other had done. He was
on the platform, with q great
crowd be hind him and be motioned me
on. The runaway was still after US.
She must have gained some, but how
much l could not say. 1t was eight
miles and half to the next station,
and could not do better than forty
five or forty-eight miles an hour on the
upgrade. The runaway must catch US
in the next six or seven miles. We
had gone about five miles when got
the signal on the bell-rope to stop. and
AZ soon as | had slowed down little q