River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-12-11
FORTY MINUTES LATE.
How and Where an Engineer Lost
His Left Ear.

brave man was member OF my parish,
and ! was sitting at his tea-table. After
a moments thought, he pushed back
his chair, for the frugal meal was fin
ished, and looked hard at his wife. 1t
was a curious gaze of his honest eyes,
AID the lady met his chances with an
almost pathetic entreaty: ''Do not tell
lti' written on her kind face.
'She don't like TO think of it" he re-
sumed. laughing; at the same time he
shook back the long hair that fell in
waves over the left side of his brow. un-
covering blushing scar and revealing
that he had been dismemberei of an
ear. ''But am not so bad looking
fellow, after all, he said. In fact he
was singularly fine-looking.
ut is one of those memories" his
wife interrupted. rising. that one fears
to recall. But thank God, it will be no
more likely to occur again for the tell
ing of it, and he may tell it while put
the boy to bed, upstairs"
1T was one of those accidents that
nothing can prevent" resumed the en-
giueer. mo foresight can guard against
the hidden flaw which the best of steel
sometimes hides in its own false heart.
The best crank or shaft ever forged will
sometimes break on a steamer in mid
ocean. So of a connecting-rod on a
pair of drivers. Now l think the thing
am going TO tell you is the most ter
rife accident that can happen Oh a loco
motive. because it is the worst | ever
experienced. 1t worked the most havoc
and scared me more than any other |
ever went through | can not get over
the dread of it even now, and probably
never shall. Still another man might
single out another as the worst. Z"
Ny friend still runs, as he did that
almost fatal day, the fastest train that
speeds between two large cities. At
one end of its flight the train is obliged
to traverse long tunnel Millions of
people pass through that tunnel yearly
in safety But If they knew the hair
breadth escapes of the first few years,
and especially during its cons .ruction,
even now they might not alw Us sit so
comfortably; but the best of appli ances
have some what lessened the dangers
when we were ready to leave the
depot at -, the new general manager
of the division came along down the
platform with the agent, and was intro
duced to me. | pulled off nv greasy
cap, and was about to get down, when
he said: Never mind that he was
going to run in with us. OF course,
offered him his choice of seats. as you
wouldn't to your own father; for who
ever rides in the cab, he must take a
stand up or the freman's box, if the
fellow is good ma tured enough to offer
it. A big officer, like the manager. was
different, however, and gave him any
thing. To tell the truth, | was relieved
to know his errand was only to ride; for
this English gentleman, a kinsman of
our big owner had been turning up lots
of good men. He seemed to think we
Americans couldn't make fast time, and
he forgot that our machines and cars
are heavier, our roads not so straight as
the English.
"'We are forty minutes late, he said.
as he straddled in front of his ire-box
and consulted his watch. This occurs
about every day. my man, more or less,
and it's about time the blamed practice
was stopped
"'Tratfic is heavy in October, sir,
said, trying TO smile my prettiest
"'Can you drive this machine in on
time?' he kind O. growled at me.
II gave him real Yankee stare back
for moment and then my blood was
up. That was ten years ago. before
had any wife and babies. 1t IS wife,
babies, ten years and ditch or twO< that
takes the daredevil out OF a locomotive
engineer. At first a man knows no
fear, but any of the aforementioned
things kind o. tempers him down. He
can't keep his pluck up as at first, do
what he will My wife, by the way, was
expecting me to come round with the
minister to be spliced week from that
very day. She had sent out some we'd
dug cards-rather snowy for humble
folks to do. The wedding had to be de-
ferred, and he tried to smile as he re-
ferred to that incident though it was
evident that the remembered tragedy
was beginning to overshadOw his own
manly face, as it had his wife's before
she left us. "Well, pastor, / just
frowned on the Englishman, and said:
If you'll choose which seat you'll take,
and let my fireman get in some of his
work, well show you what the Saga
more can do when she is mad
81 will take the stoKcr's box. he
said; that's English for fireman. you
know. And he climbed up, rolling
cigarette and ligh ting it with funny
kind of foreign machine in his hand.
Il started her easy, felt my cars all
get hold. 1t was before the days Of
solid trains and couplers. We pulled
ten cars We had a run of seventy-fOur
miles schedule Time two hours. / was
to run it in one hour and twenty min
utes. There were to be three slow-ups
and one dead halt at a drawer. That
would give me most of the miles in
about sixty seconds / often go that
for mile or so; every fast train does
every day. But seventy-four such miles
are mighty trying on machine, nov
tell We. before We get half through; and
nigh on to the end you don't know
what minute the poor old creature may
break her heart on We. / looked the
Sycamore over as / took her out o the
shop--I always Go that with my own
eyes; but il / had known what we were
to try on, I'd given those connecting
rods more attention. We used to wedge
them on the wheels; you have seen the
steel keys? Nowadays they are fastened
in the shops so the men can't wedge
them too tight, every station or two.
II is this new way of fastening that
causes tho ringing noise you now hear
as the big drive-wheels pass you Did
you never notice?
"Wen. / soon began to feel of her
wind. She was not long in making
that fireman's box too uneasy for my
general manager. He danced like toy
man. Then he closed the window ahead.
Then he shut the one a his side, though
they ratified open. and he lost his hat,
which the fireman caught on the bag
gage-car brake: but Mr.. Manager could
not let 90 his clutch on the scat 10
replace his hat The hat was all coal
dust, any way, so it was put into the
tool-chest. Now we we're just flying.
never took my eyes off the iron, but
out of the corners of my eyes ! saw how
distressed he was. He undertook to
boiler something. but / paid no atten-
ton. The fireman showed in the sprink-
lings fine; he knew exactly how. Fir
ing is half the battle in big run
Well, we were going so well that | was
afterward told the paymaster's car,
which We were pulling home, could not
keep the dinner dishes on the table
No, sir Twice, going round curves,