The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-10-02
A PATHETIC REALITY.
LIGHT AND LOVE HAD DIED
TOGETHER.

E(ts
A Brave and Intrepid Fireman Goes
Down to Death--His Mothers Lamp
Went Out W ith His Life.
Tunnel HILL, Ca. Sept. 29.-An en-
gine on the Western and Atlantic road
turned over and went down a fill of
about forty feet at McIvor's Switch yes
terday. Engineer Adamson jumped
from his engine, R. L McClain, the fire.
man, was caught against the boiler head
and doom, between the tender, and was
not killed instantly, but lived several
minutes He called for help.
The Death Of McClain.
The engineer went to him and called
for light McClain asked the engineer
if he (the engineeD was hurt. He told
him he was, and the engineer asked Nc
CLAIM if he was. McClain told him he
was hurt badly. He asked them to help
him They told him they could do moth
ing for him. He exclaimed:
"My God, help mel
These were the last words spoken by
him. He was twenty five years old.
His Mothers Lamp.
The Brunswick, Ga, Times has this:
"The Western and Atlantic train left
the track last night at McIvor's, and Rich
ard McClein, fireman, was killed"
That was the message, almost brutal
in its brevity, that was flashed over the
wires from Atlanta to The Times last
Friday night. He was only a fireman,
of small consequence to this matter-of-
| fact world, with it's rush and hustle, and
so three-)ine item in the morning pa
pers was his obituary.
But back of this bare notice of Nc
| Claims death is one of the most pathetic
stories in the history of railroad acci-
| dents in Georgia. The dead man had
mother and family who lived in the val
ley of the famous Chickamauga, and
| about them centers the pathos of the
| story But let Engineer Adamso", who
stood weeping by the body of his i.lcn ),
tell it:
,'He was good boy" he said, zone
of the best hearted men in the world !;
and he loved his family so. Every night
whel he would run by his home his
mother would put up light to let him
know that all was we'll and he would
answer with light. Last night she
may have watched all night, for he
didn't pass, and no doubt she was
troubled with the thought that some
thing was wrong"
And something was wrong.
While the faithful mother, with her
lamp Of love afame, was strainiug her
eyes through the darkness of the night
to catch CLEAN of the flashing head
light that announced "All's we'll" with
her sou, that son was stark in death.
The eyes that had watched for the
light in the window that told Of the
safety of mother and kindred were glazed
by death No more would they strair
through the dusk of the valley for the
red ray which conveyed to him a mes
sage of love from home.
Richard was dead by the track
The loving mother, what of he1
Through the dark watches she waite(
at the window, in her hand the beacor
that assured Richard of the well-beins
of the jewels of his heart.
But the rush and roar of the engine
. and the flashing of the headlight through
the swart reaches of the valley neve
came.
( The minutes ticked slowly by.
t "Richard is late tonight" !" though
the loving woman, ''but I'll wal
S awhile longer It is almost like
. visit from him to catch glimpse of tn
t headlight
So she waited till her eyes grew heav
!: with sleep.
t And Richard was dead by the track!
Finally she said:
''Ill leave the lamp in the windo'
and lie down awhile. I can hear tn
:, roar of the engine in time to wave th
light"
Slumber came unconsciously to th
loving but tired eyes. When she awok
|. the sun was shooting his silver arrow
through the chinks of the room. tt
70 faithful heart turned toward the window
y The lamp was extinguished. The moth'
/ sat up with great eyes staring at tt
II darkened lamp. & shadow of woe can
'. darkling over her, chilling the war
love currents of her heart.
For Richard was dead at the trac
Light and love had died together.