Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-01-22
FORTY MINUTES LATE.

'sThe most fearful accident that ever
happened on q locom otive?" echoed the
engineer, looking round at me. The
brave man was member Of my parish,
and was sitting at his tea table. After
o moment thought he pushed back his
chair, for the frugal meal was finished.
and looked hard at his wife. 1t was a
curious gaze of his honest eyes, and the
lady met his glance with an almost
pathetic entreaty: "Do not tell It'll" writ
ten on her kind face.
''She don't like to think Of it," he re-
turned, laughing at the same time he
shook back the long hair that fell in
waves over the left side of his brow,
uncovering blushing scar and reveal
ing that he had been dismembered of an
ear. "But / am not so bad looking
fellow, after all" he said. In fact, he
was dngularly fine looking.
"It 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
telling of it, and he may tell it while /
put the boy to bed upstairs"
"It was one 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. 60 Of q connecting rod on a pair
of drivers. Now, think the thing / am
going to tell you is the most terrible ac-
cident that can happen on locomotive,
because it is the worst l ever expert
enced. 1t worked the most havoc and
scared me more than any other ever
went through. cannot 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 he did that al
most fatal day, the fastest train that
speeds between two large cities. At one
end of its fight the train is obliged to
traverse a long tunnel. Millions of peo-
pie pass through that tunnel yearly in
perfect safety. But if they knew the
hairbreadth escapes of the first few years,
and especially during it's construction,
even now they might not always sit so
comfortably; but the best of appliances
have somewhat 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 my greasy
cap, and was about to get down, when
he said, Never mind that he was going
to run with us. Of course I offered
him his choice of seats, as you wouldn't
do to your own father; for whoever
rides in the cab he must take stand
mp or the fireman's box, If the fellow is
good natured enough to offer it. A big
officer, like the manager, was different,
however, and I gave him anything. To
tell the truth, was relieved to know
his errand was only to ride; for this
English gentleman, q 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,
rs he straddied in front Of the fire box
A1l hSa tot1 tTv1pto
about every day, my man, more or less,
and it's about time the blamed practice
was stopped
"'Traffic is heavy in October, sir
said, trying to smile my prettiest.
"'Can you drive this machine in or
timer he kind o growled at me.
II gave him o real Yankee stare bach
for o moment, and then my blood wal
up. That was ten years ago, before / had
any wife and babies. It is wife, babies
ten years and ditch or two that takes
the dare devil out Of locomotive engi
heer. At first man knows no fear, but
any Of the aforementioned things kind o
fempers him down. He can't keep hi
pluck up as at first, do what he win. Ny
wife, by the way, was expecting
me to come round with the minis
ter to be spliced q week from thai
very day. She had sent out some wed
ding 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 wa.
evident that the remembered tragedy ywal
beginning to overshadow his own manly
lace, as it had his wife's before she lef
us. "Well, pastor, / just rowned ON tn
Englishman, and said, If you'll choos.
which seat you'll take, and let my FIRE
znan get in come of his work, wen shov
you what the Sycamore can do when sh'
Is mad
"I win take the stoker's box, he said
sthat's Engfish for fireman., you know
And he climbed up, rolling cigarett
and lighting it with funny kind Of for
leign machine in his hand.
II started her easy. We pulled tea
VWinkxUira. uTherA never were a