Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-11-15
THE ENGINEERS DOG.
It Was slidc's Canine Instinct That Pre-
vented a Enilroad Wreck.

It Was Slldc's Canine Instinct That Pre-
vented Railroad Wreck.
eyes, sir, remarked the gray haired
gentleman with slight tremor in bis
voice, Il have given up railroading
now, having become n little bit too far
advanced upon the road of life to sit in
a cab and make u locomotive move.
OH you want to know about that dog
of nine All right. l used to run into
Chicago on the Lake Shore on old 432.
That dog never missed q trip over the
roal with INC, and owe ny life to him
upon more than ono occasion. His
names Slide. not of Slide, Kelly,
slice" fame. however. Id so down to
the rountlhouSe and see my old girl run
out, and then monkey about her to see
that nothing was out of whack until it
WAS time to start.
Right at the hour Slide could be seen
coming down tile street with my dinner
basket in his old mouth. When it be-
came time TO start I'd give the whistle
n chance, and Slide would be on beard
in the cab beside me- That dog never
would walk. He was too blooded for
that. it became no trick ut all Tor him
TO climb out on the foot board, run
along and jump down on the pilot, get
up again on the other side and walk
into the other window. Whenever we
got to :ciew York Slide would 80 down
and ride into town, big Us life, on the
COW catcher. even taught him TO
pull the whistle cord whenever coln-
manded. Everybody along the line
knew him. When got down to oil
my wheels he would always follow and
watch TO sec that no kids jumped on
the locomotive
II remember distinctly one stormy
night as was approaching Chicago.
There was tremendous tempest on
the lake, for could hear the dull roar
of tho waves beat upon the shore. l
had TO lay upon siding and wait for
orders TO pull in over any one of the
fifty tracks that spread out near the
city. There was u little telegraph
station a few rods away from where /
lay. Orders were confidently expected
in a few minutes, but they did not
come. Ny fireman and got lonely
sitting out there in the driving rain,
and even distinguishing each others
voices in the din. l remember Tom
yelling It'll be hard time out on the
lake tonight, and then the light came
from the station bobbing up and down,
and someone came hurryinS up and
gave nc the written orders to proceed
over the last track TO one of the
stations on tho outskirts of the city
and lay there until q special had
passed.
We'll, the brakeman got down to
throw the switch. when Slide made q
bee line out of the cab and flew Mt the
fellow rs though he had gone crazy
and back. Why, he simply tore sounds
into sh-cds. He jumped at the fellow
cvcry time he made movement for
the switch. He would crouch down
and beg and whine terribly.
Say, Charley, won't touch that
switch. the brakey sud as he walked
toward me with white face. There's
something gone wrong. and know it,
he went on. At first l laughed, but
gradually something strange came over
me suddenly. could feel the warm
perspiration trickling down my back
bone. The conductor got impatient
and yelled to US to pull out. The
brakeman started back to throw the
switch again, but. sir, the dog displayed
the some tactics and even bit the brake
mans hands. Just then there was a
sudden lull in the STORM The most
mournful howl ! ever heard came from
that animal
my God, look cried the brake
man, pointing up the track. Both of
Us sprung TO our posts and peered to-
ward Chicago. A great red light came
like q flash out OF the inlly blackaess
and the special rushed past us like a
wlirlwind and was gone.
-Four white faces looked into one
anothers countenance moment later,
and just then the operator came rush
ing out with orders to stop us, but we
had been stopped by keener instinct
than human intelligence and telegraph
wires. Yes, he was our mascot" con-
Guided the old engineer, brushing a
strange moisture in his eyes and walk
ing further along life's rugged road.
The dog had gone before him.-Denver
News.