Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-10-16
a WILD NloHT-RuN.
Bill Jones Has an Awful Experience ON
the Short Line.


press engine 1856, wiped his hands Oh
bunch of waste and leaned back in
his cab contentedly smoking, awaiting
the signal from the conductor to start
In front the green light below the head
light, indicating another section OF the
same train would follow, shone bright
ly, while behind u long line of baggage,
day and sleeping ears stretched out into
the darkness beyond the station. At
last the signal came. With alert senses
the engine-man opened the throttle and
the train slowly started through the
maze of tracks in Harrisburg yard on
its long run to Philadelphia Little by
little more steam was put ON, and fas-
ter and faster the express ratified along.
Then the deafening noise and roar
ceased and the steady click, clickity,
click of the wheels as they passed over
the rail joints indicated that the long
siding filled with freight cars had been
left behind Gathering momentum, the
train dashed into the quiet night. Far
off in the distance light shone from a
farm house, but the nearer dwellings
lay white and silent in the moonlight.
! Suddenly dazzling lights glared all
around Big, half-naked men, looking
all the more gigantic in the radiance.
ran hither and thither upon tasks which
could only be surmised, and then
the picture was blotted out. 1t was
group of iron mills On dashed the
train, it's course now lying between the
old canal and the broad Susquehanna
A slight mist was rising from the river,
but far across twinkled the dim lights
of another train, emphasized by clearer
light as the furnace door was opened by
the fireman. Bill Jones saw it and
smiled to himself 1t was the Balti-
more connection which had left Harris
| burg five minutes before his train. He
jerked the cord, and a shrill whistle
sounded through the night. Two min
utes later an answering blast foated
sleepily across the water The express
rumbled on, now at full speed whiz-
zing by coal train, which had crossed
over to the westbound track to let it
pass, and ratified through Middletown
past long lines of other freights held
back by the angry red of the soma
phore SO that the express might not be
delayed at the intersection. Far ahead
the signal governing the eastbound'
track shone crimson. Suddenly it
turned into white light, and Jones re-
leased the air, which he had just put on,
jolt, a rumble and twist sped across
the mainline tracks, disappearing
down the Mount Joy branch, the single
track line used for passenger service be-
tween Lancaster and Harrisburg.
just twenty-five minutes from the
time the express passed the intersection
it drew up at Mount Joy, fourteen
miles distant, and took the siding to
clear the Pacific express going west.
The silence of night was almost oppres-
sive and the only sound which broke
the stiffness was the steady working of
the injector, resembling nothing so
much as a person painting after long
run. From down the valley came a
faint whistle, then a rumble, a roar,
the flash of a headlight and the rush of
heavy train dashing by at full speed,
with scarcely light visible in the long
line of sleepers. AS it passed Bill
reused himself and pulled the whistle
cord sharply three times to warn the
other engineer of the section following
and then he started his train again for
) Lancaster.
Meanwhile, the rear brakeman was
standing half doing on the platform Of
the last sleeper He heard Jones give
the signal to the engineer of the Pacific,
r and he saw the red tail-lamps of the
other train vanish in the direction of
Harrisburg as he felt his own train in
motion. Then there foated back
: another signal loot, toot toot The
brakeman's heart leaped. That meant
there was another section of the Pacific,
, also. close behind. and the engineer had
5 neglected to call Jones attention to
t the green lamps on his own engine I'M
+, til reused by Bills whistle. The brake
in
> pull the bell chord and stop the train
only to find Bill already knew of the
= second section of Pacific running that
night and was supplied with orders, he
Q would invite a reprimand for his
t oficiousness On the other hand il
the express was running on the
;. single track toward the opposing train
y -. He resolved to run the risk OF
It leaving his post and go forward. 1t is
r no easy task to thread ones way
t through three or four sleepers, around
d staterooms and smoking apartments
d and it is still more difficult to pass
" through an ordinary coach in the mid
y die of the night, when passengers
q sprawl into easy attitudes, and extend
their limbs into the aisles- Like an age
:, it seemed to the brakeman ere he
n gained the platform of the front car
It clambered over the rocking tank of the
engine and stood beside the engineer
=. 'Bill, did you notice Pacific carried sig
- nails for a second section?" he yelled
J. into the engineers ear. MY God, no.
t. Then the man accustomed to dangers
le made lightning calculation. There
IS would be at least twenty-five minutes
e Roadway between the two sections
If caused by the stop at Lancaster. Fully
- five minutes had already expired, and HI
know by the surroundings Mount 10.
10 was four miles behind. Within the mex
10 five minutes the second section, if OF
st time, would leave Lancaster and rul
ID slowly to Dillerville, the junction
t, of the branch and the main line
Is Could he with eight cars run tn
Il seven miles and get there ahead of tn
"a westbound train? Aye, if it were il
10 the wood.
ne He threw the levers as far as the
ne would go and the train bounded ahead
IL go back, Jim," he shouted to the flag