The Grenada gazette., 1888-02-11

sne was late CT on time. Twenty
eight minutes alter her time pas
senger train n the other road
made the crossing. This crossing
was eighty rods above the station,
and, while | had nothing TO do with
the trains on the other road, natural
ly kept track of them, and knew
whether they were late or on
time On this particular night |
went to bed at 1915. and was
asleep before eleven o'clock, Al 1920
| suddenly awoke. The night freight
had not come in. had been sound
asleep. but knew she had not. She
was fifteen minutes overdue. and yet
my call had not been sounded. This
| TO me meant some sort of accident be-
tween me and the next station north,
which was eleven miles away. l at
once called for the station. but the
operator had gone. l Iran to the door
and looked ont. There was fine rain
and dense fog.
Freight trains are seldom on
schedule time, and I had known those
on our line to be an hour late without
worrying over the fact. However. on
this night was all worry. The rain
and the fog, the crossing. the fact Of
my waking up as had, the failure to
raise the agent at the station above,
these things made me terribly uneasy.
aud at 1925 lighted my lantern. put
on my rubber-coat, and started up the
line ON run, l had not gono forty
rods when heard Kissing of steam.
and two or three minutes later | could
see the g lare of headlight through
the fog. In couple ofminutes more
found our midnight freight-twenry-
two loaded cars and big locomotive
aud she was standing dire city on the
crossing of the roads. l began to
shout rs soon as l had made out the
locomotive. but no one nswered me.
pushed along to the cab, climbed up.
and found the engineer and fireman
on the floor of the tender. arms
around each other, and fast asleep or
dead. At that same moment the pas
senger train on the other road
whs,led for the crossing.
Il am telling you. sir, that lived |
a year for every minute in the next |
five or six. knew very little about
an engine. though | had seen how
they were reversed and how the throt-
tie was worked. If any thing was
done | must do it. and do it quickly.
Why did not pull ahead l do not
know. 1t struck me that must back
up and l flung over the bar, gave
her steam, and she began to move.
The steam had run down, and we
moved at 4 snail's pace, and even
when | pulled her wide open the en-
,ine scarcely had power to back the
leavy train. We did move. however
,lthough it was foot by foot. l could
lear the roar of the passenger train,
md l knew that every second was
fastening q terrible calamity.
'ut did not leave the engine. Back!
'ack! back! we crawled. and of
udden great light flashed in my
yes, there was crash. and | saw
ars moving in front of me and dis.
ppearins into the darkness. What
ad happened? Well, had backed
he freight until the locomotive of the
assenger train only carried away the
ilot a. it crossed our line. That was {
Il the damage done. and no passen- ;
er had suspicion of his narrow es- 5
ape from an awful smash-up. Z
when the train had disappeared !
nd l coul Il realize the situation, | be.
an to investigate. | ran back to the t
tb00so, but no one was to be found. !
shouted and screamed, but soon 9
'und that | was all alone. Then \
imbing back into the cab, | sought O
arouse the engineer and his fire Il
an Dead No Drunk as two t
rds! Yes, sir They were drinking Il
EN-, though the company did not v
now it, They had been taken off s.
lother run two weeks before and v
'ming down the line on this trip had v
ought n bottle with them. AT the Fl
alton above they had reached o
e limit, and in their drunken il
'viliry had suddenly pulled out and a
IT all the train crew behind. The W
nductor could not readily find the 81
alton agent, and when he did rout n
m out and get him to the office | C;
as out OF mine. and did not answer o
; call. The two men had let the 5,
ram 90 down, and The train had fc
awled down to the crossing and c;
)ppcd where found il. The men g
erc by that time too drunk to stand o.
= and had grabbed each other and W
He'd on the floor to sleep. was h;
t in the cab. trying to kick some ST
nse into them, when the Jnduclor re
d his two brakemcn arrived on a In
nd-car. AID after getting up steam be
} got the train over the crossing to h,
. station. The two drunk ards h'
ght to have been sent to State to
ison. but for fear Of the story getting III
o the paper. they were allowed to 81
ip. M