The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-06-04

NUMBER IS.
A Wild Engine Behind.
New York SUM- had a run out of
Columbus, O.. ten ortwelveyears ago,
and several things conspired to bring
about the incident l am about to re.
late. Ihad-a passenger run of niLe
hours, beginning at z o'clock p. M.
For nearly three years had loco.
motive named after a railroad official,
"Ben Davis" and l 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 jeweler, at the same time,
and while one will keep excellent time
and give good satisfaction, the other
will have ofspells. 1t is the same with
two locomotives. While "Ben Davis"
would make regular trips day after
day tor months without giving me the
least trouble ar wanting cent g worth
OF repairs, other locomotives from the
same shop were in the hands of the
repairsrs as often as on the road.
One of our freight engineers was a
man named George Roby. He came
to our road from some line in New
England, and gave good satisfaction
for about three months. Then Wills
ky got the better of him and ho went
to the dogs. One day, after his fire.
man had brought the train into Co.
lumbus, 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 he would
have revenge for being discharged.
One afternoon he turned up down the
road and was noticed to be drinking
heavily and to have the bearing of a
man bent OH some desperate deed.
This was ut a station eighteen miles
from Columbus and on u gloomy
April evening. Twas due there at 7:2S,
and it was a atwo-minute stop. A mix
ed freight always side.tracksd there
for us to pass and then followed us
down the line.
Well, l 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 dark night and u slippery
track. l did not see Roby, nor did
any one tell me that he had shown up
there. noticed that the freight train
was unusually long and that it was
pulled by one of the biggest engines OH
the road. Three orfour people got
OIL, and perhaps as many got on, and
we were of on the second. 1t was IL
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 white as snow, ran alongside and
called to me:
"rhere's q wild engine behind you
for heav-"
He ran back to tho conductor, and
i'll ten seconds that official rushed up
and shouted to me:
otis q runaway engine-pull out at
once!"
He yelled, Cali aboard" sprang for
the steps OF q car, and away we went,
some OF the people getting off or on be-
ing flung down as they jostled each 9TH
er. After weleft thestation where the
freight was side-tracked a brakeman
ran down the track to open the switch.
As he did SO Roby mounted the Ell.
gine with cooked revolver in hand, and
drove the engineer and fireman of.
He had previously unco lplcd her
from the train without being detected.
He ran the engine out OH the main
line and half a mile beyond. Then
no filled up the fire box, and saw that
she had plenty of water, pulled the
throttle wide open, and jumped off.
That was how we came to have u
runaway engine behind us. As soon
as the engineer was driven from the
cab he ran into the station and i'll
formed the operator, and about the
time the runaway started off we got
ahead OF her. That meant six minutes.
When I pulled out supposed the
programme was forsom of the station
folks to run down and open the switch,
SO that the runaway would be ditch
ed, but it appeared that the agent was
so dreadfully ratified that he did not
attempt this step until too late. The
switch was forty rods from the sta.
ton, and just as an employee reached
it the runaway came roaring past.
My next stop was ten miles distant. l
reasoned it out in about q minute
that if the runaway was ditched tho
fact would be telegraphed ahead. If
she wasn't, that fact would also be
clicked over the wires, and Iwould 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 out
run her. l made the ten miles IN
twelve minutes and q half. A mile
away began footing the whistle, and
as we neared the station, still flying,
l leaned out to look for the agent. He
was on the platform. If he held up
his hand would stop. But he did
not. On the contrary, he waved his
arm down the line for me to keep on,
and knew that we were in forit. 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.
Little by little gave her more steam,
and after the first mile Iknew 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 fly.
ing. The agent ahead would let ME
know by signal, us the other had done.
He was on the platform, with great
crowd behind, and he 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 eight miles an hour on the UP
grade. fhe runaway must catch Vi us
In the next six or seven miles. We
had zone ol,out five p,;lao ,vI,on 7 uo+