West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-04-09
JOE size.


Whobrs she heroes we han to-day,
I Hp1 tsrcle thclr 6rows with wroaths Of bay2
no II grit by thronEs of his fcllow.menp
INC tiesmsn hghting in keen debate
Tor We laws that will make HE roun try great ,
NM poet whose spirit IN his song
Witltrs Ike FIRE the front of wrongi
Yes. Ihcsr are heroes on whom we may call
1ut greater still IL behind them all
100 Sieg the railway engineer,
NMholid his duty and mover thought
TIC any moro than driver ought"
Aoojat Sicg, say. as he stands
WltYh' lever clutch d In his oily hands
11ndIesrng naught but the grind of the wheel
en- on cianEing rail underneath his heel,
Vt Fhting his pipe for whin or two
lot foking ahead a. drivers DO
nowfsny one seeing him thus would have said
NnVn very doubtful shake OF his head.
1fofr stun 9ttcr ell out OF which 20 plan
tNuI nero when action calls FOR tho man"
30 Aiu would think. but listen and hear
INC fory oil Sieg, the cngiuez
Dow the Pennsylvania line.
I'm W tight of an afternoons sunshine,
lamp Sieg with "A train of cars behind
AndHundrcds of lives that were his 10 mind
httfthouRht he OF danger near
rs ~ watched for Signals set at clear
II h1tnought ai alt and that thought could be
A. II stood on the foot plate looking ahca3.
~ tM-' 10 do what driver could do
huhtharp 10 his time, nor be overdue.
No ~, abns the metals in smoke and glare,
't'k tAA MS post 10y tho levers there.
Engfc and cars like "A whirlwind tore
~, lusl as the stokcr threw open the door
vi furnace at once through each black
The buick back-draught, bringing with it the
Ihad scorchng with lightning fingers of main
hrole Sieg aud his stoker back in the train
Back they went bearing all tho brunt
81 We hery tongues that wcru kissing i'm front
Incl caught az tas,sAs,.a 80 their wild desire
,m uesS than moment were mufed I'm
Thofngine, like some wild stoed that is free.
SnGgahead with shrek of defiant glcc
bchmd were hundreds of lives i'm "A tomb
'""s was not with the breath of their awful
IT,, TO leap from the train would be certain death.
10 STAY would be food for the flames wild
breath.
Now was the time for your hero To plan:
The hour had come. and Sieg was the man
To- n y moment he stood for at once he saw
us duty before him. and that was law.
Nota single thought OF himself came near
To shake his grand:brave spirit with fear
only there rose, like "A flash, in his eye
I nigh,
A look that would do all that duty could
And with one wild rush Sieg was into the
flame.
,Trhered tongues quivcr'd and clutch'd at him;
They tore the flesh from his arm and limb;
They wove like scarlet demons. between
hhyengine aud him a fiery screen
But he fought his way to his terrible fate
I'LL he felt his feet touch the tender plate.
Ihen, blind with the flame and its scorching
breath
And weak from his terrible struggle with
death,
He CROPPED for the levers, clutch'd them at
length.
!h snS with ono wild effort Of falling strength
Mo the Kissing of fire and tho engines roar
IhreW on the steam, and could do no more
When the engine at last was brought to a
stand,
Not life was lost ont of all that band
No lie, did ] sayI Alas! there was one
but not till his duty was nobly done
for back in the tender, silent and grim
blackened and scaldcd I'm body and limb
Lay Sieg, who had without aid, and alone
saved hundreds of lives and lost his own
mat il tho story, plain and clear
VI Sleg, the railway engineer
nonor 70 him, and no stint of praise
from the best of hearts in these modern dnvs
honor TO Sieg! say, aud hail
luis last Jim BludsO of the rail
mho did his duty aud never thought
ne ala any more than driver ought
alexander anderson In Good Words