The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-28
HEADLIGHTS DISCUSSED.
DANGERS OF NIGHT TRAVEL ON
RAILROADS.
An Engineer Who Would Prefer Noon
light to the One Afforded by Locomo-
tive Heodiights-How Fox Made HUI
man Blood Run Gold.

The above ejaculation OF surprise fell
from the lips of an APPEAL reporter who
lad climbed into the cab of passenger
engine which in few minutes was to pull
out Of one Of the Memphis depols with its
load OF human freight 1t was about 10
O'Clock at night, dark, and the great head
light on the forward end of the engine was
burning brightly, The engineer, who
Ind committed this breach OF the compa-
ny's rules in allowing the reporter to sat
isfy his curiosity as to how far he could
sec ahead by the aid of the headlight, and
10 whom the remark WAS addressed,
laughed softly;
81 expected YOU to make some such re-
mark as that" was his comment. THAT'S
the idea most people have about head
lights. You can see probably two or three
hundred yards now, because the engine is
standing still and the lights OF the yard
help some, but ii you were on the road
with no light except the headlight and the
movement OF the engine shaking that, and
shaking you,. too, you couldn't see half
that distance"
"Woll, how far, for instance?"
"0h, ! expect IL you wanted to see the
them shining for say 1000 feet. but you
could not see anything else over $50 or 400
feet ahead, and to be able to distinguish
between objects and shadows not further
than 200 feet"
Then II strikes me that IL you were
running at pretty rapid rate, or even at
the usual rate of speed, you would not
have much chance TO stop your train be-
fore you hit whatever was on the track"
well, no; the most you could do would
be to sound your whistle aud give what
ever was on the track a chance to get oil.
You could not stop train Of say engine
and tender, baggage car, two coaches and
sleeper In less than 900 feet going at
thirty to thirty-fve miles an hour by APP
plying the air brakes and reversing the
engines, and that tears her all to pieces
sometimes. A headlight amt OF so much
use as people think il is. Why. on
moonlight night | would just rs soon not
have one ut all"
"Why?'
''Wcll, its a curious thing. and I don't
know the philosophy OF it, but the moon
light being the greater light destroys the
effect OF the headlight almost entirely, and
IL II wasn't for It's being reflected from
some station platform or car on a side
tack YOU wouldn't know ii was lighted at
all. Why, many a time have gone out
ON the running board there on the side OF
tho engine around TO the front to sec II my
headlight was still burning"
81 suppose then that running on moon.
light night is easier on you than dark
nights, because you have better light
and can see further 2" said the reporter
innoccnuy.
"Well, IL might he II ! WINS running on
y prairie, but in this part OF the country
We are oil the time running through woods
or strips Of woods, where the shadows Of
trees are thrown across the truck, and
those shadows are 30 strong and black
that they can't be dissipated by the bright
est kind Of headlght-you can't tell the
difference between shadow and AN oh.
ject 10 save your life hardly; you have
either struck IL or passed 1t before you
could tell which il was"
"Well, that's a new one on me-" said
the reporter. ~ always felt much safer
when ] was travelling ON moonlight
night"
"Any engineer viii toll you that that
Is true" was the reply.
whats that?" asked another engineer,
who had just brought in n heavy freight
train and was on his way home. Engineer
No. I explained.
That's go" assented the newcomer.
"a moonlight night IN the hardest Of all
nights on an engineers nerves aud the
most dangerous 10 run on. ! would rather
run on any other kind Of night a man
can be deceived No easy. don't suppose
there II an engineer yet that has not been
scared by taking the moon for an engi.
becr's headlight when II was either rising
or setting and low on the horizon, about
the hight an engineers headlight would
he, and that's thing that happens 10 tho
oldest engineers. too. They come around
curve suddenly, and there is another en-
Cinc right close onto them-ai least, that's
what they think and II siartlcs them, he.
cause they amt looking out for IT, When
horse Is ON the track IN front Of you and
running away from you, he looks exactly
like n man-you can't tell that he isn't
until he turns his side 10 you.
Speaking Of being deceived" contiu.
ned Inquirer No. 2, II had about as sin
eular an experience once while | was
crawling around Lookout mountain on
one Of the divisions on the Nashville
Chattanooga 4 IT. Louis. pulling n pas
tengcr train into Chattanooga, ~ any one
ever bad In that line, but that wasn't q
tupuuiifutt uut hhlhf ti'N HiEuA hh'
this. It's a pretty Gravity place there, III,
road at one place IL cut out Of the solid
rock 81 the mountains ride for some Ills
tsnce. and they kept since they had tina
had accident therc.-a Waterman 10 ~,
that no rocks or trees fell down from
above. We always had 10 slow up at tha
point, and ! had put ON air brakes ant
was sliding along easy when all OF u sud
don Sw n lamp swung rapidly across thu
track ahead Tagging me down you un
den,and. There was n ravine back Of ~
which We lad Just passed and nj the poin
we then were Il was a tumble Of severn
hundred feet only before we would fal
into the river, u we did fall. IL didn'
take me long 10 stop, you can bet. ThoI
The naginan ran closer up still, hagginl
me down until he got within few feet o
Tie engine, when he jumped 10 one sid
aud Disappeared down the side Of tn
mountain.
"what did he do that fort" asked III
reporter, half cxpcctnga "selr" OF som
tort.
"Wcll, II wasn't n hagfnan nj all;
wasn't anything but a large fox, and II Wa
Tie reelection al my headlight In the AM
mails eyes You know how cats eye
shine when you bring n candle up 10 'cn
On the dark, and M this fox came up TO III
engine he lodged from side TO side like n
animal will do, and Il looked 10 me ju'
like lamp swung across the track, an
then, too, kinder expected 70 DO iiagge
there NJ any time. you know"
Ting. ting, ting went tho gong In tl