Evening journal., 1890-02-19
SOME ENGINEER YARNS.
TOLD BY A VETERAN CHICAGO
KNIGHT OF TFs FooTROARD.

John G. Taylor, for many years locomo-
tive engineer on the roads Of the middle west,
Is full OF "reminiscences as an egg is OF meat.
"Ever on a wrecked trainr he asked. |
''Nof Then you don't know what you missed /
But the man who rides along comfortably |
till the shock comes is a good deal better off |
than IL he saw il some minutes ahead and |
couldn't get away. One time / was run |
ming the fast express on the Pittsburg road, |
and pulled into Wanatah, Ind, just after |
dark with eight loaded cars II was Friday
night while the exposition was running here
in Chicago, and every car was crowded
There was a freight ON the Ney Albany
road, which crosses the Pittsburg there, and
it was due 10 pass some ten minutes ahead Of
my time. | couldn't see IL and the target
lights gave me the track, ~ pulled out and
was almost to the crossing when saw the
man at the target run up the Albany track
swinging a red lantern like mad. Just then
saw that freight coming down grade at full
tilt, and whlstling for brakes let on all the
steam ! had, but blest If my drive wheels
didnt slip and just go whirling around there
like tops. The little Roadway had gathered
pushed US forward, and tho engine was just
on the crossing. IL the wheels would have
taken bold could have cleared it before the
freight came, but saw it was no use They
would strike us sure. So / had my choice:
! could pull the engine across and let them
hit the coaches, or / could stop where was
and let the engine take IL.
" Human lie before dollars / said to my
fireman, and reversed the engine She took
hold, strangely enough, and stopped the train
stock still. / let on a little more steam and
tried TO back, but they flew again. and my
partner and jumped, just In time 10 see that
laundering freight crash into my Baldwin
engine. They made an awful wreck The
whole freight train piled up along the track
and smashed half the cars. The two engines
was all drove together and ruined, but we
got the track cloar, and q new engine came
down from Valparaiso and pulled my train
into Chicago. But, sir not half the passen-
gers on my train knew there was a wreck.
They were comfortable, and their cars being
nearly still when the shock came, they were
not jolted bit. The company cussed little
when told them lost the engine TO save tho
passengers, but guess they would rather
have it that way. Suits for damages, when
q lot Of people are killed. are always expen-
sive But The strain Of those few minutes on
me, when / knew my train must be struck,
and had TO choose whore, was enough 10 make
my black hat turn gray.
81 was running through freight on the
Alton road one time and fetching train loaG
OF cattle up from st. Louis. 1t was along
about morning, and just this side Of Lincoln
as We rounded curve ] saw a little bridge
on fire 1t was over dry, shallow creek
bed and wasn't over twenty feet wide.
couldn't possibly stop, aud believed the fire
had not yet weakened il much, so put on
full head and let her 90. About five ears
a.. ~. AL.
ed most Of the cattle, and he saw the fire al
most as soon as did. He danced and yelled
and swung his arms, but | let him go aud
watched the bridge. just as the pile pushed
into the smoke something broke loo behind
and I'll be shot If that engine Of mine didn't
Jump two feet IN the air She came down all
right and just dew like a bullet | shut of
| the steam and looked around. There was
| only two cars with mo That Internal
old man had taken the train In his own
hands and climbed down 70 the bumpers
when he saw / was going 70 take the
| bridge; he uncoupled the third car
and tho rest OF the train. climbed up again
and set the forward brake till he just about
split it Then he ran 70 the next, and his
hired man helped him. His cars came on,
showing that first one along like a pair OF
skates till it stood right on the bridge There
it stopped, and when all the slack was taken
up the weight Of twenty cars OF cattle just
showed the head OF his train into the creek
bed, tipped seven over on their sides and de,
rniled the rest. / was 30 mad could have
hammered him. The bridge would have hello
the cars running, but when the dead weigh
rested on 1t, with all that train banging uf
behind, it went down. We had TO open thu
cars and let nearly two hundred head Of far
/ Kansas steers out on the prairie, and il took
a wrecking train four days TO tx up th-
bridge and track and take the rubbish away
And then that ayhawker had the nerve TO sus
the company for damages Get itl Well, nc
II ran across a woman engineer once. Hes
father used TO own big sawmill and, being
an engineer himself he taught the trade to his
daughter. She was a little Wild l guess, ans
ran away from home 70 take an engine on /,
little marrow gauge track in the Arkansa,
woods, dressing like man and wearing hei
hair short Then She got freight train OF
the Iron Mountain road from Poplar Bluff {,
st. Louis She held that until she went I,
sleep one night and ran plump into freigh
on a crossing. Then she skipped, and turne'
ur afterward on the o. road at the time o
the big strike. knew her father well, an,
he often asked me II l saw her. Finally ont
morning when | was pulling out Of Chicag'
ON Rock Island train saw her backing
O. engine down 10 the yards. called be
by name, and when l started out next morn
ing she came to my cab, got on and rode on
q ways
II never saw her again till just before
quit the road. She came 70 me at Counc
Bluffs one night and wanted to ride 70 Chi
cago. She had no money and was discouT
aged, and / let her ride. although it wa
against the rules. She sat before me and ra
my engine half the night. She seemed to
watching for something. and didn't tai
much. At last, just before midnight, Will
We were passing through a stretch Of wood
she threw over the lever, set che air brake
! and fetched the train up with a bump insid
Of hundred yards.
/ "'What's the matterF ! asked.
"'Man ON the track; don't you see him
she said, and jumped to the ground. The
was a man on the track, but | hadn't SCI
D him before and didn't believe she saw hi
I when she stopped just then l heard a sh
fired, and looking back saw group Of f
= lows trying to smash IN the side door Of q
d express car.
4 @'Go ahead il you can, john yelled Il
= conductor. Go ahead, for Gods sake, car
! from the express messenger, and let on {
steam again. The man who had been lyil
on the rails was gone. We gathered hea
+ wav rapidly and the fellows who had be
x pounding the door tried 10 get on the ca
But aa the train went faster they jumped
the ground and escaped. The woman is
with gang of train robbers, and is dol
& good work for them. / shouldn't wonder
F she aaade her scheme work some night a
nt her pals will get a big haul. But they did
- taka auythincr ont Of my train and IL Il q,