Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-12-21
CRANE ATTHE THROTTLE.

through the door held open oy the
smiling maid.
CRANE AT THE THROTTLE.
Congressman Recalls Thrilling Episode
of His Career.
"In my young days" said Congress
man Crane, of Texas, to cores
pondent, II was an engineer on the
Santa Fe railroad. Do you fellows know
what a trying thing it is to be locomo-
tive engineer? Well, can tell you that
il will do a mans nerves more Marin
than ANYTHING else in the world. Alcohol
and tobacco are mere tritles In comparl-
son. even if they be used in excess.
Il didn't stay very long in the buSi-
ness. | like excitement, but running Il
cannon ball express whose scheduled
time was 90 miles an hour Is little 100
much, even for me. But the three
months time that | ran No. &c was not
sufficient for me to realize the injury 1t
was doing nv nervous system. 80 that
was not the real reason that led TO my
abandonment of the throttle forever.
Il had only been on as have said,
about three months, when by some
carelessness or viciouSneSs, one OF the
engines known as mountain climber
got away with full steam on, and started
down the road on Il message OF death
and destruction. / had just finished a
long run, and was just preparing To 90
home when the train dispatcher rushed
wildly out of the Office and told me the
news.
1.-The track has been cleared, he said,
and there was nothing TO stop the
mad rush of the runaway locomotive
until it should dash into the station at
Galveston, and plough its way through
bricks and mortar until both the build
ing and locomotive were ruined. l had
plenty of nerve then, and suppose by
your laughing you think | have lost
none of it, but | am free TO confess that
would not now dare to undertake the
task that | successfully accomplished
that day.
perhaps it was the excitement and
enthusiasm of the moment which led me
To volunteer TO laSso that locomotive. l
ALWAYS smile when | recall the look OF
incredulity that met my confident as
Sertion that | could catch and arrest
the mad flight of the renaway, but
was so confident that they gave me
hearing, and | finally secured the ser
vices of Il sturdy Irish lad as fireman.
I'm less than three minutes after the
despatch had been received | was on
my engine, with steam slowly coming
up again. and pulling out as rapidly as
possible TO meet the oncOming terror.
1t was impossible for the train de-
spatcher to give me any accurate idea
rs TO where the runaway was. The
best he could do was to say that it had
passed a small station about IS miles up
the road some 10 minutes before. NOV
ing at the rate of about 90 miles an
hour.
"A few minutes more, and with steam
up had my engine moving at the rate
of 60 miles an hour, and going straight
at the runaway on the same track. |
ran this way for about - minutes, when,
as near as l could calculate, the run
away had done 37ll miles and had
covered -. If my calculations were
correct there were still some 1215 miles
between us, but you can imagine that
the last five miles l covered running
direct at the oncoming monster were
anything but pleasant.
"Well, | reversed my engine and
started running slowly, gradually in
creasing my speed until we settled down
to a comfortable 30 miles an hour, the
Irish lad meanwhile keeping on terri
fic amount of steam. We might have
run into almost anything, for did not
ook ahead at all; my eyes were strained
until they panied me looking up the
track for the runaway. 1t might have
been 10 minutes more or leSS-it seemed
like years to me.
"Finally we heard the rumble and
roar of the monster. 1t didn't take her
long to heave in sight, and she was
coming a-humming. For the first time,
| confess, | lost my nerve. 1t was mo-
mentary. however, and then | opened
nv throttle and away we went. There
was good mile of straight track be-
tween us when first caught sight of
her: then we turned curve and she
was out of sight, if not out of hearing.
when she did come she had gained
on us pretty nearly half mile. | shut
off steam a trifle, and when we struck a
level piece of track but quarter OF a
mile separated us. | told Irish to keep
I'D pressure, and the way he did it it's
a wonder the boiler of IS didn't bust.
She kept getting nearer and nearer,
and it was all | could do to keep from
throwing wide the throttle and speed
ing away.
''Finally she closed in upon us. and |
assure you so nearly equal had l sue
ceeded in making the speed that the
shock was little, il any, greater than
that felt upon the coupling of two ears
Il did not hesitate an instant, but
tanning down the steam valve tight
difficult task for even. an athlete, as |
then waS-and from there swung my
self upon the runaway. 1t was the
work of scarcely half a minute to clam
Der in the cab and jab down the steam
valve there.
I'VE ran possibly mile before we
came to a standstill, and by that time l
was as limp as a rag and shaking like a
man with the ague. A good drink of
whiskey fetched me around in a few
minutes. We coupled the engines and
in half an hour had them both safely
housed in Galveston.
THAT was my last experience as To-
connective engineer. You could never
get me to steer cab again.
A Picture of Mrs. O'Shea.
Boston Transcript.
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