The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-07-12


spun. The train was made up of a
baggage and mail car and two passen-
| ger coaches. just before | let 'er GO,
L looked over towards the station to
see if there was any signal out. Ii
there was red flag out, that was Or
ders to back down on the side track
and wait for No. 9. I saw no flag out
and left, feeling positive that no flag
was there. We were few minutes
over the schedule in leaving, and I
mination to make up all of it as quickly
as could. never thought of No 8
after we left the wagon works-until
about six minutes later there came an
impression of the train that will last as
long as | live. We were just humming
along-the track was well laid though
1t was q curve, and there isn't any
more danger to speak of on good
piece of curved track than there is on
straight away section. sat on the
inside of the curve, and inadvertently
raising my eyes upon the track ahead,
there she was!
My God, JIM said to my fire.
men, there is No. 9.'n
"And she's flynn, too said Jim.
'What'll we do, Kell?' he shouted.
In a few moments she would be on us.
''Guess we'd better stay, JIM" said,
and without shutting her off | braced
my feet against the boiler, threw her
over and clapped on the sand and the
air. This action reversed the drive
wheels of the engine and set them rum
ming backward, while the other wheels
of the engine and of the train ran for
ward. This greatly increased the re-
sistance against the forward motion of
the train, and is only resorted to by
engineers when a crisis is imminent, as
there is danger of blowing out the cyl
inder heads and otherwise straining the
locomotive.
Gentlemen, said Kellogg, ''a steam
engine on a railroad never looked so
big to me before as that No. 9. Talk
about the City Hall being big, why it
was an ant hill to the size of No. 9's To-
comotive. | could see her old drivers
spinning around on the inside rail of
that curve. There was no time to blow
the whistle until after / had reversed
her. Galloway-Alex. Galloway was
No. 9's engineer-saw me about the
same time l saw him. What he did I
don't know; | suppose he did the same
as |, but this do know, and that is that
when those engines came to stop the
pilots were, by actual measurement,
just eight feet apart. Alex. and /
climbed down and shook hands across
those eight feet.
s'Of course [ was overdue when we
ran into DETROIT" he continued, ''but
it was not until had looked over my
engine, washed and changed my clothes
thatI began to feel the effects of my
narrow escape. broke completely
down, and recollect walking into Su-
perintendent Blodgett's Office with my
knees so shaky that they would hardly
hold me up
"Well, said I to Blodgett, you've
heard about it. Am to blame?"
"Heard about what?" he said.
80 come, now; know you know all
about 1.-THE narrow escape ON the
curve. Am / to blame?"
''I don't know"
"Fll take the matter in my own
hands then, Mr.. Blodgett. I resign.
and you must get somebody else to
take out my engine in the morning."
Don't do that, Kellogg" said he,
wait and see before you resign. You
are excited now; you will think differ
emily when you are composed"
'.No, sir,n I said, II know what Tn
| doing, and mean what | say. l didn't
see any flag out at the wagon works. /
have been on this road good many
years, Mr.. Blodgett, and if there was a
| flag out there and [ didn't see it, it is
high time that l should resign before
something serious does happen"
This is sensible way to talk, Eel
logg," said he. 'Now you think this
matter over until morning, then let me
| know"
/ "You see If I was to blame" ex-
! planned Kellogg aside, II did not want
to give them an opportunity to discharge
| me-
II concluded to investigate myself" /"
| said Kellogg, land told the superin-
tendent that would call at his house
at nine o'clock that night and inform
him of my final decision. He said that
would be satisfactory, and jumped on
street car in the evening and rode out
to West Detroit to intercept Galloway
on his return to Detroit Alex showed
up all right and on time, though could
see that he was still little shaky."
".How is it, Alexa' I asked, climbing
into his engine, was the flag out?'
| Gle ran into Toledo right after / left,
and would know whether the flag was
out or not.)
NO" he said, 'Kel, it wasn'tr'
Il thought not said, land that
saves me. Where was Brownpn