Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-01-26

.
success in society they appreciate so
much and so well deserve. -London
Queen.
MlRACULO USLY SAVED.
A Terrible Calamity Avertsd by tho
Breaking Down of n Locomotive.
| have brother who is now in the
grocery business in Richmond, Va,
but he was for eleven years dis
patcher ON a Southern road. He is
sober, quick-witted and Industrious
man, but although he is only thirty
six years old, his hair is almost as
white as snow, and there are times
when the cold sweat stands on his
forehead and he trembles like leaf.
When he was dispatcher, one
warm afternoon in August he was fam
ming himself and trying, without
meeting with much success, to counter
act the effects of the hot winds, which
sometimes blew in that part of the
country, in addition to the intense
heat from the sun, which shone on the
awning overhanging his window. He
had been closely confined to the office
for many months, and the constant
strain had probably wearied both body
and mind. At any rate he had sent an
order for an express train to meet a
special, on which were a number of
officers of the road, at certain sta
tiov then, by one of those unaccounta-
BILE Slips sometimes made by the most
well-trained and careful minds, ordered
the special to a station by the meeting
point. He took his finger from
the key and his eyes from the train
sheet, and again began to fan him
self vigorously and allowed his mind
to wander at will. A few minutes af-
forward, more from force of habit than
from any other reason, his eyes were
cast over the train sheet. Like a flash
of lightning, almost at the instant he
saw his mistake. He seized the key
and was about to correct it, when he
realized to his horror that it was too
late Both trains had been reported
as having passed their stations several
minutes before and were now fast max
ing toward each other Mt not less than
forty miles an hour. When the GER
tain result of his fearful blunder fully
dawned upon him, he tried to get up,
but his limbs were numb and refused
to fulfill their functions. As he ex-
pressed it, he saw the two trains as
they were rapidly approaching each
other; saw them but mile apart, with
their precious loads of human freight.
He knew every inch of the road, and
knew that where they must meet there
was high wall of rock on one side
and deep ravine on the other; knew
that q horrible death awaited in an.
other instant almost two-thirds of the
passengers of both trains, for it was
on curve, where the engineers coult
not see each other until it would be toe
late, then mist came before his eyes
and, as he almost tainted, he saw il
his minds eye, the crash of the two
!, engines, and telescoped cars roll Owe
, the embankment and piled in grea
Q heap. Loud above the Kissing steam
A he heard the cries of the dying. II,
: tainted away.
When he recovered consciousness h
: heard his call on the line. With al
a most u superhuman effort he arose an,
1 answered. The operator at the sta
: ton to which he sent the order to tn
!; special then told him that the engin
!, of the special had broken down rs j
o was pulling out and he wanted furthe
C orders. Hold itr' he flashed back
!, and a mountain rolled off his mind
Il In another moment, when he had tim
i to collect his thoughts, he attempte
: to go to window, but found that hi
e limbs were numb and the cold swea
was standing on his hands and fore
e head. There was also strange sting
d ing sensation at the roots of his hail
t as though some one was pricking hir
on the head with many needles. Tha
: night when he left the office and wit
f great effort walked home his viii
t jokingly asked him what he had put o
c his hair. Upon looking into the glas
!, he was Mortified to see that it had i
r those few moments become almost q
e white as snow.
+; He resigned his position next da
Il without giving cause for so doing
e Often since thea he has told me tbs
d money could not hire him to again Il,
cept position as train dispatcher.
n Philadelphia News.