Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-08
FORTY YEARS IN TILE CAB.
"OLD MAN WHITE" ENGINEER ON
THE PROVIDENCE ROAD.

int. Adventures-A Run for the Siding
with ''OId Peg'--Two Engines Passing
on the Same Track.
"Old Man White" they cell him over along
the line OF the Providence railroad, where he
is almost as familiar a part Of the scenery as
the stations by the roadside between the city
and Dedham, past which he has ridden on
his locomotive nearly every day during the
last thirty-six years.
But wait until tell YOU something Of the
past life of the man, W E. White familiarly
known as 'Old Man White"
It was away back twenty years ago that he
met with one Of the first Of his hairbreadth
escapes. Then he was running the old en-
CINE Pegasus on the hourly train out to
Dedham and on the return trip.
One day he was bowling along down from
Dedham toward the city at speed of about
twenty miles an hour The signals were all
right for him to go ahead upon a clear track.
Reaching Forest Hills his engine had Just
pul Led out oB to the main line from the branch,
and was forging ahead at an Increased speed,
when away, just around curve in the rear
of him, "Old Man White saw a line of ad-
vancing smoke. He knew In a moment that
the Providence express must be there bearing
directly down upon him Should he continue
TO 20 ahead? The signals were set all right
for him TO do SO. But he had q heavily loaded
train and a small locomotive. Should he try
to race the splendidly equipped express into
the cityl Perhaps be might win, but the
chances were fifty TO one against him Not
for himself alone must he think. Behind him
ride hundreds Of human beings that have
learned to trust implicitly il his good iudg-
ment and skill
What shall he do9
There is but moment in which to decide
upon a course of action.
My God, it is the eEpress." he exclaims,
as q big, black bulk OF a locomotive comes
into sight around the curve that has hitherto
hidden it. Running at a speed of fifty miles
an hour, it is bound directly for him How
can be get out of the way. He may save his
own life by jumping, but the unthinking pas
sengers, what of the,nl It is the work OF only
a second for Gold Man White to decide what
he viii do
Il reversed the odd Peg" as he remarks
when he tells the story nowadays, 'and
thought If could only get her to running
backward at a fifteen mile an hour speed |
should be 0. K. I tell you the cold sweat
stood in spots ali over me as saw the express
bearing down upon us. She couldn't stop; it
was on the down grade If she struck us it
was my last day alive. l suppose that
thought more in single minute then than
most men do in two or three months. NV
fireman stared at HE with his mouth vide
open, and be was as white as a sheet. It is an
actual fact he was completely paraIyzed with
fear. He could not move hand or foot. But
you see that we got out Of it all right at last.
for here l am, alive and well and smoking
my cigar as contentedly and as happy as
anybody. 1t was as close a call as q man
wants to have, however, and escape That
Providence express train flew by me Just as
we had gotten fairly on TO the siding The
pilots of the two engines struck and mine
was torn away in the rush.
But that is not the only narrow escape
that l ever had to completely take the starch
out of me.
Jim Prince and men named Cole and
myself were ordered out one Sunday morn
ing, after tremendously hard snow stsrm,
TO clear up the tracks with the plow out to
Dedham. Idly engine was the old Roxbury.
When started out she steamed poorly,
and told the boys that they would have TO
surely slow up for me to get steam before we
arrived at the end Of the Trip. In order that
they Iaight not have to drag me if my power
should give out, I was placed in the lead near
the snow plow We went out of Boston all
right, and when got out to Roslindale gave
the signal to slow up speed, for my steam
mad gone down TO forty pounds While we
were getting up a running pressure again /
looked up around the Dedhsm curve aud /
could see that the snow was drifted up there
fearfuuy. 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 iinpossibility in railroad
ing.
We made two engines pass each other on
single track
Nv hen We had got up around the Dedham
curve we struck the snow 50 deep that it went
away up over the engine cabs windows. We
were pulling, each one of us, for all that we
were worth. Suddenly my Old 'Ro1bury'
struck a clear stretch Of track. Her throttle
beng wide open she Ieaped ahead at a fearful
speed and left the rails She piowed like mad
over the sleepers, cutting soIle Of them eight
inches thick in two. You have to be party
to such an experience in order 20 fully under
stand how it seems to be jumping along ike
this. The engine rode completely over the
track. | couldn't get my hand ont TO shut the
throttle ANA there was 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 a snow drift. Al last the en-
CINE struck something and stopped short, and
the jar was sufficient to close the throttle.
NV fireman, Big Jim we called him, was
frightened Just a little bit. As soon as the
engine stopped he jumped head first into 8 big
snow drift. Iii never forget how be looked
when he got up on his feet ana cleared some
of the snow out OF his mouth.
BE jabers. he shouted, IN never ride
on an engine 8 Gain, again, to my dying day
And, sIre enough, be kept his vow, for he
walked home to Boston IN the snow, gave up
his place as fireman, and went into some
other kind Of business
That was narrow escape, indeed, but the
most peculiar part of the story have yet &c
tell you.
When the RoxbQry stopped I put my
hand upon the whistle bar and gave blow
sounding as near like cock-a-doodle-doo az
GCSaA~Gt@ 4bcA CfSsSdAA W "OAkGSh hS'' hAi0
other two engines Jared during the disaster
l turned around 10 look for them, Of course,
but couldn't see anything q them there
and was puzzled 10 know what had become
Of them. Suddenly l heard . whistle tool
away, as l thought, about half mile up the
track toward Dedcam. supposed then that
it csme from an engine that was coming
down from the village, where it had been
housed I'D over night, 70 help Us clear up the
read / gave al answering whistle. Soon