The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-03-20

locomotive engineer on the roads of the
middle west, is full of "reminiscences as
an egg is of meat.
"Ever on wrecked train 2" he asked.
"No? Then you don't know what you
missed. But the man who rides along
comfortably till tho shock comes is
good deal better of than if he saw it
some minutes ahead ard couldn't get
away. One time was running the fast
express on the Pittsburg road, and pull
ed into Wanatab, Ind, just after dark
with eight loaded cars. 1t was Friday
night while the exposition was running
here in Chicago, and every car WAS
crowded. There was freight on the
New Albany road, which crosses the
Pittsburg there, and it was due to pass
some ten minutes ahead of my time. I
couldn't see it and the target lights gave
me the track, sol pulled out and was
almost to the crossing when saw the
man at the target run up the Albany
track swinging red lantern like mad.
just then I saw that freight coming down
grade at full tilt, and whistliug for brakes
I let on all the steam had, but blest if
my drive wheels didn't slip aud just 60
whirling around there like tops. The
little headway I had gathered pushed us
forward, and the engine was just on the
crossing. If the wheels would have
cleared it before the freight came, but /
saw it was no use. They would strike
us sure. So I bad my choice: I could
pull the engine across and let them hit
the coaches, or / could stop where I was
and let the engine take It.
".Human life before dollars I said to
my fireman, and reversed the engine.
She took hold, strangely enough, and
stopped the train stock still. I let on
little more steam aud tried to back, but
they few again, and my partner and I
jumped, just in time to see that blunder-
ing freight crash into my Baldwin engine.
They made an awful wreck. The whole
freight train piled up along the tack
and smashed half the cars. Fhe two
engines was all drove together and ruin
ed, but We got the track clear, and new
engine came down from Valparaiso and
pulled my train into Chicago. But, sir,
not half the passengers on my train knew
there was wreck. Theylwere comfort:
able, and their cars, being nearly still
when the shock came they we're not JOLT
bit The company chssed little when
told them I lost the engine to save the
passengers, but guess they would rather
have it that way: Suits for damages,
when lot of people are killed, are
always expensive. But the strain of
those few minutes on me, when I knew
my train must be struck, and had 70
choose where, *as enough to mske my
black bat turn gray.
ri was running through freight on
the Alton road one time and fetching a
train load Of cattle up from St. Louis.
It was along about morning, and just
this side of Lincoln as ne rounded,a
curve saw little bridge on fire. 1t was
over dry, shallow creek bed and wasn't
over twenty feet wide. Icouldn't poBai-
bly, stop, and I believed the FIRE had not
weakened it much, so I put on full
head and let her go. About FIVE cars
back from the engine vas the nah that
owned most of the cattle, and he saw
the fire almost as soou as I did. he
danced and yelled and swung his arms,
but I let him go aud watched the bridge.
Just as the pilot pushed into the smoke
something broke loose behind, and I'll
be shot if that engine of mine didn't
jump two feet III the air. She came
down I'LL right and just few like bullet.
I shut off the steam aud looked around.
There was only two cars with me. That
internal old man had taken the train ii
his own bands and climbed down to the
bumpers when be saw was going to take
the bridge; be uncoupled the third car
and the rest of the train, climbed up
again and set the forward brake till he
just about split it. Then he ran to the
next, and his hired man helped him:
His cars came on, showing that first one
along like pair Of skates till It stood
right on tho bridge. There it STOPPED,
and when all the slack was taken up the
weight oftwenty cars Of cattle just showed
the head of his train into the creek bed,
tipped seven over on their sides and
dersiled the rest. 1 WAS so mad I could
have hammered him. The bridge would
have held the cars running, but when the
dead weight rested on it, with all that
train banging up behind, it went down.
We had to open the cars and let nearly
two hundred head of fat Kansas steers
out on the prairie, and it took wrecking
train four days to fix up the bridge and
track and take the rubbish sway. And
then that jayhawker had the nerve to
sue the company for damages. Get it7
Well, no.
s'f ran Across woman engineer once.
Her father used to OWN big sawmill,
and, being an engineer himself, hetaught
the trade to his daughtet. She was q
little wild, guess, and ran away from
home to take an engine on little mar
row gauge track in the Arkansas woods,
dressing like a man and wearing her hair
short. Then she got freight train on
the Iron Mountain road from Popular
Bluff to st. Louis She held that until
she went to sleep one night and ran
plump into freight on crossing. Then
she skipped, and turned up afterwards on
the O. road at the time of the big strike.
Iknew her father we'll, and he often
,o1r.1 ;c r b,. I;.o1tr=ona