Mower County transcript., 1890-12-10
FORTY MINUTES LATE.
How and Where an Engineer Lost
His Loft Ear.

How and Where an Engineer Lost
His Loft Ear.
Tho most fearful accident that ever
happened on a locomotive?" echoed the
engineer, looking round at me. The
brave man was member of my parish,
and was sitting at his tea-tablo. After
a moments thought, ho pushed back
his chair, for tho frugal meal was 6n-
ished, and looked hard at his vito. 1t
was curious gaze of his honest eyes,
and the lady mot his glances with an
almost pathetic entreaty: ''Do not tell
I'll" written on her kind face.
She don't like to think of it." he ro-
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 dismembered of an
ear. But am not so bad looking
fellow, after ALL" he said In fact he
was singularly fine-looking.
''It is one of those memories" his
vito 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 I put
the boy to bed, upstairs"
1T was ono of those accidents that
nothing can prevent" resumed the en-
gineer. 'No 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 steamer in mid
ocean. So OF a connecting-rod on
pair of drivers. Now think the thing
am going to tell you is tho most ter
rife accident that can happen on a loco
motive, because it is the worst l ever
experienced. 1t worked the most havoc
and scared me more than any other I
ever won't through. l can not get over
the dread of it even now, and probably
never shall. Still another man might
single out another as the worst"
My friend still runs, as be did that
almost fatal day, the fastest train that
speeds between two large cities. At
one end of its fight 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 tho first few years,
and especially during its construction,
even now they might not always sit so
comfortably; but the best of appli ances
have some what lessened the dangers
"When we were ready to leave tho
depot at t-, the new general manager
Of the division came along down the
platform with the agent, and was intro
duced to me. l pulled off my greasy
cap, and was about to get down, when
he said: Never mind;' that he was
going to run in with US. OF course, l
offered him his choice of seats. as you
wouldn't to your own father; for who
ever rides in the cab, he must take q
stand up or the freman's box, if the
fellow is good.na 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, 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 fire-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
"'Trafic 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 l
had any wife and babies. 1t is wife,
babies, ten years and ditch or two that
takes the daredevil out Of a locomotive
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 a week from that
very day. She had sent out some we'd
dug cards-rather showy 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 EDglishman, and said:
If you'll choose which seat you'll take,
and let my fireman get in some of his
work, we'll show you what the Saga
more can do when she is mad
'"1 will take the stoker's box he
said; that's English for fireman. you
know. And he climbed up, rolling q
cigarette and lighting it with a funny
kind of foreign machine in his hand.
II 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 seyenty-four
miles schedule time two hours. I was
to run it in one hour and twenty min
utes. There were to be three slow-ups
and one dead halt at drawer. That
would give me most Of the miles in
about sixty seconds. / often 60 that
for mile OF 20; every fast train does