Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-16
THE GUARDS STORY.
How an Engineer Saved Life and Wealth
and How He Was Rewarded.

Coming down on the elevated road
late at night short time ago [ fell
into conversation with the guard, says
a n. n. Star reporter He was
pleasant fellow. The night men are
apt to be. They have less traffic and
the natural social instincts of men dis
play themselves in spite of corpora
tiOns ard iron-bound rules. As we
swung into South Ferry station he
shouted out. There goes the money
train" | looked and say a single car
attached to an engine steaming up the
track. had only a glimpse of it, but
that was sufficient to rouse my Curl
oSity. My companion was full Of the
subject and | gathered some interest
ing details on an important feature of
railroad routine.
singular you never saw that be-
fore said the guard. The car is
oval in shape, holds three or four men,
gathers up the tickets and 'boodle,'
and is naturally looked after pretty
sharp by the company. The men in
the car all carry guns and are gen
orally loaded for bear so they're not
troubled much. The car starts out
about l or 2 o'clock in the morning
and goes up and down the Second ave-
nue road stopping ut every station and
collecting the tickets in the boxes and
the cash from the office. Next a trip
is taken on the Third avenue road and
then on the others in regular order, The
car laying up for the day about a.
IN. near Fifty-eighth street, on the
Ninth avenue line. I've heard say
that sometimes she carries about $50
600. In fact, that's only a light esti-
mate.
Nobody monkeys with that train
or with the men in it. continued my
informant. smiling grimly TO himself.
1t would't be healthy. [ do remem-
Der time though. when there came
near being "A circus. There had been
some trouble with laboring men
something OF tina, kind-and they laid
off TO wreck the train, You can't do
il easy, The ttange on the wheel al
ways catches when you run up on the
guard beam on each side of the track.
aud You caa's run lato the treet, The
gang Knew this, aud they tried some
thing new They put an inclined
block ON each track so the train might
run up aud over That might co. 1t
was q dirty trick. | suppose they ex-
pected TO lay below and rob the car
when she smashed in the street Kill
ing the engineer. of course, didn't
count. All the same they got left.
There was Il quick young fellow on
the road that time. He saw the blocks
in the flash of the engine light and
stopped the train in her own length.
He saved everything and kept his wife
from being a widow in the bargain, |
guess. | think | read a poem about
it in one of the illustrated papers
Harpers Weekly it seems to me. The
company was very grateful to that
young engineer"
I'm glad of it." said | heartily.
He certainly did them service. What
did they do for him? Let's see. He
saved at least $40, 600 for the road. |
suppose they gave him $1,000.
Not much" said the guard folding
his arms and winking at me confiden-
italy. When corporations do that
we'll be near the millennium, and
won't have so much need of the minis
tiers preaching the New Testament at
the directors on Sundays. The way
things 90 they don't have no call to let
up on them sharps. [ never heard
that Sheridan got cent for what he
done l suppose directors think that
a mans bound to save his own life,
any way and as for payin' him for
their own they're keepin' all they get.
make no mistake. | understand they
gave the engineer an earlier run and
he was glad enough to get it. The
strain on him in those hours vain; so
great. and it was less rough on his
kidneys"