The Dickinson press., 1889-05-11
FORTY YEARS in THE CAB.
"OLD MAN WHlTE," ENGINEER ON
THE PROVIDENCE ROAD.

TIC Tells tho story OF Two of His Thrill
ing Advcntures-A Run for the Siding
with "Old Pcs''-Two Engines Passing
ON tho Same Track.
odd Man White' they Gull him over along
the line of tho Providence railroad, where he
is almost as familiar Il part of tho scenery rs
the stations by the roadside between the city
and Dcdham, past which he has ridden on
his locomotive nearly every day during the
last thirty-siN years.
But wait until ! tell you something of the
past life of the man. W. Z. White, familiarly
known us "Old Man White"
1t was away back twenty years ngo that lie
met with one of the first of his hairbrealth
escapes. Then he was running the old Ell,
gine Pegasus on the hourly train out to
Ecdliam and Oh tho return trip.
One day he was bowling along down from
Dedham toward the city at a speed of about
twenty miles an hour The signals were all
right for him to go ahead upon n clear track.
Reaching Forest Hills his engine had just
pulled out on to the main line from the branch,
and was forging ahead at All increased speed.
when away, just around a curve in tho rear
of him, "Old Man White" saw a limo of nd
vancing smoke. He knew in Il moment that
nv al ShtpGSo iiiuSL " uclC Dciil lIlS
directly down Ipon him. Should he continue
to 20 ahead. The signals were set all right
for him to do so. But he had n heavily loaded
tram and Il small locomotive. Should lie try
to race the splendidly equipped express into
the city, Perhaps he might win, but the
chances were fifty to ono against him. Not
for himself alone must he think. Behind him
ride hundreds of human beings that have
learned to trust implicitly in his good judg
tncnt and skill.
What shall no do!
There is but n moment in which to decide
upon Il course Of action.
My God, it is the eNprcss!" he cxclaims,
as a big, black bulk OF n locomotive comes
into sight around tho curve that has hitherto
hidden it. Running at Il speed of fifty miles
an hour, it is bound directly for him. How
can he get out Of the way! He may save his
own life by jumping, but the unthinking pas,
senSers, what OF them! 1t is tho work of only
u second for Old Man White to decide what
he will do.
II reversed the old Peg" us he remarks
when he tells the story nowadays, and
thought if | could only get her to running
backward ut Il fifteen mile an hour speed !
should be O.. X. ! tell you tho cold sweat
stood in spots all over me as l saw the express
bearing down upon lis. She couldn't stop, it
was on the dow grade. II she struck lis ii
was my last day alive. | suppose that ]
thought more in Il single minute then than
most men do in two or three months. NV
fireman stared at me with his mouth wide
open, and he was as white as q sheet. 1t is an
actual fact he was completely paralyzcd with
fear lie could not move hand or foot. But
you see thut we got out of it all right Mt last.
for hero | am, alive and well and smoking
my cigar rs contentcdly and as happy as
anybody 1t was us close q call us n man
wants to have, however, and escape. That
Providence express train flew by me Just rs
We had gotten fairly on to the siding. The
pilots of tho two engines struck and mine
was torn away in the rush.
But that is not the only narrow escape
that | ever had to completely take the starch
out of me.
Jim Prince and Il man named Colo and
myself were ordered out one Sunday morn
ing, after a tremendously hard snow storm,
to clear up the tracks with tho pillow out to
Dedham. My engine was the old Roxbury
When We started out she steamed poorly,
and ! told tho boys that they would nave to
surely slow up for me to get steam before we
arrived at the end of the trip. In order that
they might not have to drag me if my power
should give out, ! was placed in the lead near
the snow pillow We went out of Boston all
right, and when we got out to Roslindale l gave
the signal to slow up speed, for my steam
had gone down to forty pounds. While we
were getting up a running pressure again /
looked up around the Dedham curve and ]
could sec that tho SNOW was drifted up there
f~earfully But We pulled out on to the road
again in about half an hour, and deter
mined to wade through the piles somehow.
You may doubt it, but we accomplished
that day a seeming iinpossibiity in railroad.
ing.
wv made two engines pass each other on
a single track.
when wo had got up around the Dedham
curve we struck the snow so deep that it went
away up over tho engine cabs windows. We
were pulling, each ono of us, for all that we
were worth. Suddenly my old 'Roxbury'
struck a clear stretch of track. Her throttle
beng wide open she leaped ahead ata fearful
speed and left the rails. She plowed like mad
over the sleepers, cutting some of them eight
inches thick in two. You have to be a party
to such an experience in order to fully under.
stand how it seems to be jumping along like
this. Tho engine rode completely over the
track. | couldn't get my hand out to shut the
throttle ana there was u full head of steam
on. There we were blowing along over what
and towards where | had not the slightest
idea. Every minute we were getting deeper
and deeper into asnow drift. AT last the en-.
CINE struck something and stopped short, and
the jar was sufficient to close the throttle.
My fireman, Big Jim We called him, was
frightened just a little bit. AS soon as the
engine stopped he jumped head first into u big
snow drift. I'll never forget how no looked
when he got up on his feet and cleared some
of the snow out of his mouth.
BE jabers,' he shouted, IN never ride
OIL an engine again, again, to my dying day.
And. sure enough, he kept his vow, for hi
walked holne to Boston in the snow, gave w
his place as a fireman. and went into SOM
other kind of business.
That was n narrow escape, indeed, but thu
most peculiar part of the story | have yet tt
tell you
when the Roxbury stopped | put III,
uand upon the whistle bar and gave a blow
sounding us near like Observation-Disclosures q
possible. Then | began to wonder how th'
other two engines Jared during the disaster
turnc.l around to look for them, of course
but | couldn't see anything of them there
and ! was puzzled to NOW what had bccom
of them. Suddenly | heard a whistle too
away, as ! thought, about half a mile up tn
track toward Dedham. | supposed then tina
it came from an engine that was coming
down from tao village, where it had becl
housed up over night, TO help us clear up til
road. | gavo an answering whistle. Sool
there was u reply, and after a short wait tw
locomotives came steaming down tho track
You can imagine my surprise and consternu
ticn when Jim Prince stuck his head out Q
tho window of tho old Washington, an,
asked mo what had been up to.
Tho last time that ! saw him, you know
he was OH the track i'll his engine benin
Inc. And tho funniest thing about the Who'll
; affair was that neither one of us had misse
the other until tho whole accident was a thin
of the past. Boston Globe.
s Champion In His Glass.