The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-06-23

of the Rogue bridge. | was coming up
from Toledo, my regular run, and was
trying to make up fifteen minutes time
which we lost in leaving Toledo. There
was a fifteen-mile stretch between here
and Wyandotte in which we did not
have to make a stop and the boys used
to call it the race course. Well, [ was
booming over the race course at about
forty miles an hour. When | saw this
man, | blew the whistle and noticed
that he looked around at us. Now,
when man looks at my engine never
pay any more attention to him as it
may be presumed that most of man
kind have enough gumption to leave
| the track and allow a locomotive to
pass by without trying to modest it.
As we neared the bridge, which was at
the end of a curve, | noticed the fellow
still sitting there and remarked to my
fireman that | did not think he was
quite clear. / blew again. Just as we
rushed upon him what do you suppose
| he did? The - fool threw himself
backwards over the rail. Great Cod
that was all | had time to think Of.
You gentlemen, who may never have
been on a locomotive under those cir
cumstances can not understand the
horror of the sight. But he was not
killed-how did he escape? The heel
of the pilot struck him and the next
instant he was flying down into the
swamp. We were going at such high
speed that think it was three-fourths
of a mile before we came to a stop. |
backed up and the fellow had crawled
out of the mud and water and taken a
seat on the other side of the track. ]
thought he was killed, you know. !
suppose he was going to try it again
with the next train. We loaded him
into baggage car and brought him to
town. He let on that he could speak
German only, and we could not get
much out of him. There wasn't, though,
a scratch on him.
" A year or so afterward," the Alder
man went on as his auditors drew a
sigh Of relief, "a man walked up to my
engine, down at Brush street depot,
just as / was about to pull out. l was
down on the ground looking the old
machine over to see that every thing
was all right
How do!' he said.
How are you, SIR replied. He
was dressed in policeman's uniform.
| didn't know him from Adam.
Know me?" he gently inquired.
Il do not, D." | said, you have the best
of me-
well, l know YOU" he said, as he
walked up to the pilot and STOPPING
down looked at it intently.
well" | said
This is the engine that came near
killing me-cutting my head OFF. This is
the spot, guess, which struck me, and
he pointed to the heel of the pilot.
Recollection of the incident then
flashed on me, and we had talk about
| 1t. He said he did not have the heart
to return to his family, and sat down
there, having made up his mind to
throw himself under the first train
that came along. He got start, some
how, braced up, reunited with his
family and is now doing well and is
happy. But he had close call boys,
the closest | ever saw. The tears
came into the policeman's eyes as he
stopped down and looked at the wheels.
But old 235 never committed murder
as long as had hold of her throttle"
''Were you ever in collision?n in
quired one.
Not quite responded the engineer
Alderman, but was once so mighty
close to it that measured the distance
between me and the spot where |
thought | should die. 1t is terrible
riding over the track with another en-
CINE and death staring one in the face
a few yards ahead.
Il was running No out of Toledo
resumed the speaker proceeding to
narrate the experience, ION the day
when this happened. We usually
waited at the wagon works for the
Canada Southern, No. 9, if she was only
a few minutes late. but if she was
much overdue we would pull out and
pass her up the road. Beyond the
wagon works the road takes sharp
and rather a long curve, and No. and
No. 9 ran in opposite directions on the
curve and on the same track. We
were dead on time that day and num-
Der was no where to be seen or heard
An engineer would have been put
down as insane if he left the wagon
works at that time without orders. |
had a careful conductor. / received
the signal to pull out. The conductor
was on the other side of the train from
me.
who gave that signal?" l asked my
fireman.
1.-The conductor" he said.
"Sure?n
Don't 1 know the conductorP" he
growled.
''Well, let 'er out, and away we
spun. The train was made up of q
baggage and mail car and two passen-
ger coaches. just before / let 'er go,
| looked over towards the station to
see if there was any signal out. If