Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-11-29
The ENGINEERS ooo.


vented = Railroad Wreck
''Yes, SIR" remarked the gray-haired
gentleman with slight tremor In his
voice, ~ have given up railroading
now, having become little bit too far
advanced )on the road OF life TO sit in
q cab anu make a locomotive move.
OH you want TO know about that dog
of mine All right ! used 10 run into
Chicago on the Lake Shore on old asa
That dog never missed a trip over the
road with me. and owe my life TO him
on more than one occasion. His names
Slide not of Slide Kelly, slide fame,
however. I'D go down 10 the round-house
and see my old girl run out and then
monkey about her TO see that nothing
VAS out of whack until IL was time TO
art Right at the hour Slide could be
-,n coming down the street with my
.nner-basket in his old mouth. When
became time 10 start I'D give the
whistle @ chance, and Slide would be
on board in the cab beside me. That
dog never would walk. lie was too
5looded for that IL became no trick at
all for him TO climb out on the foot
board, run along and jump down on the
pilot get up again on the other aide
and walk into the other window.
Whenever we got TO New York Slide
would 90 down and ride into town, big
rs life on the cowcatcher Ieven taught
him TO pull the whistle cord whenever
commanded Every body along the
line knew him. When got down to
oil my wheels he would always follow
and watch to see that no kids jumped
on the locomotive.
II remember distinctly one stormy
night as | was approaching Chicago
There was tremendous tempest on the
lake, for ! could hear the dull roar OF
the waves beat upon the shore. ! had
20 lay upon q siding and wait for orders
TO pull in over any one OF the fifty tracks
that spread out near the city. There
was little telegraph station a few rods
away from where | lay. Orders were
. confidently expected in few minutes,
but they did not come. My fireman and
: got lonely sitting out there in the
: driving rain, and not even distinguish.
ing each others voices In tho din re-
. member Tom yelling 1t'll be hard
y time out on the lake tonight and then
: the light came from the station, bobbing
'- mp and down. and some one came hurry.
Ing up and gave me the written orders
u TO proceed over the last track to one oi
= the stations on the outskirts OF the city
and lay there until a special had passed.
= swell. the brakeman got down Il
throw the switch, when Slide made q
bee line out of the cab and few at the
2 fellow as though he had gone crazy, and
d back. Why he simply tore sounds intC
shreda He jumped at the fellow every
u time he made n movement for the
d switch; he would crouch down and beg
, and whins terribly
Il "'Say, Charley, | won't touch that
n switch, the brakey said as he walked
u towards me with white face. There
- something gone wrong, and know 1t,
~ he went on. At first ] laughed. bu
70 gradually something strange came owe
u me suddenly. ! could feel the warn
L perspiration trickling down my bacl
% bone. The conductor got impatient and
yelled to us to pull out The brake
% man started back to throw the switch
V again, but, sir. the dog displayed tn,
u same tactics, and even hit the brake
Is mans hands Just then there was
y sudden lull in the storm. The mos
70 mournful howl / ever heard came from
" that animal.
.. my God, lookr cried the brakeman
pointing up the track Both of u
le sprung 10 our posts and peered toward
- Chicago A great red light came lils
OF fash out of the inky blackness and tn
10 special rushed past US like whirlwin
OF and was gone.
70 -Four white faces looked into one an
u, others eountenances q moment later
ne and just then the operator came run
D. ming out with orders to stop us, but W
had been stopped by keener instin,
70 than human intelligence and telegrap
'c- wires Yes, he was our mascot" cor
IL clnded the old engineer, brushing
nR strange moisture in his eyes and wall
n ing further along life's rugged road
ed The dog had gone before him.-Denvs
M (Col.) News.