The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-16
! TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
low AN OPP RAToR CAME NEAR
DIQCHING TWO TRAINS.


for the Same Company.
ATLANTA, GA, Feb. ia wreck had
cprred out on one Of the divisions of a
sd ce1tering here, and the waiting room
the union depot was pretty well filed
IN engineers and conductors eager to hear
news and catch the first glimpse of the
fated train as it swung under the shed.
was IL o'clock, and the train was due
ar since S It was chilly. cold weather,
the men were huddled about the fire
rnising about the cause of the run-off
d telling their experiences on the road.
II have been an engineer twenty-five
,rs.~ said a nicely dressed little man,
sd Ihave been in nearly as many wrecks.
ave been dashed from my engine down
Dbankments, been knocked into uncon-
,pusness and laid out for dead, but have
,yer been frightened so badly as one time
hen l was working nights as telegraph
orator on another Georgia line"
lie glanced across at an old, rough en-
Ger in blue jacket and both smiled.
It's been long time ago. the little
Il said with a sigh, shut it's as
fl to me now as it was that awful
nit. l was nothing but lad. Small one
atst, and afraid of my shadow. hadn't
boon the road long. 1t was my first ex-
pence in the telegraph business, but the
disschers said 1 did fairly well. One
thi | tried to tend to my business and
ma it a point to always be at my key
whG was called. Well, one clear night
l given orders for fast
trai,bound for Station s., against
snotc fast train bound for Station T. The
ordeinstructed the train passing my
statitto run on and take the siding at the
next alton and allow the delayed train
bounror Station T to go through on a
clear sck. This was to help her out and
let henake up lost time. My train was
due il few minutes and lighted tile red
lanterlnd hung it out on post in front
of the bee, expecting to swing it out in
the ceIr Of the tracks, as it should have
been, boon as / copied my order Just
then other train from S rolled up aud
began drill cars. AS soon as | got the
order DIED, and waited until l thought
my ira ought to be in the yard,
went nut to put the lamp in
in its pee. aud the train for which I had
orders ID passed by the. office and was
blowinpf brakes TO 20 ahead. 1 seized
the lantn and swung it once or twice, and
it wenhlg. / ran back into the office, and,
taking b white light, took after the train.
l hallod and waved the light frantically.
The engeer had pulled his throttle back
and wasiving her all she could take. l
could seche fireman giving her coal and
could he the clinkity-clink of the brakes
on the clductor's cab getting faster and
faster. eavensl My whole life stood up
before n, and l actually remembered
things nd brgotten years and years be-
fore. rtndnber l was bareheaded. How
L flew up Cd track after the engine and
train! Wlei | stopped fell in the track
exhausted. lay there minute and, Jump
Ing up, staied after the train again, but
heard it bloEng two or three miles ahead
of me.
"What NIT dol
There wd the other train coming from
g., holding dders, emitting If to the track,
over the trat from T. Its order instructed
IL 70 pass Staon-- running regardless of
Train, as twas side>tracked. My train
had passed He and was running regardless
OF the other rain. They would meet, each
thinking thelwere safe, and then, OF fell
lows, camt very near turning gray on
head.
Hanged didn't almost wish the train
had run owe me-" said the man.
Then felt as if was dream
ing. felt all sorts of ways.
l had a will to run out into the
woods and leep going. 1 thought about
running down 70 the swamp and hiding.
But didn'thave time to deliberate. The
trains were aiming like the devil, headed
toward each pther, and nothing under the
heavens couA keep them from telescoping
and killing hundreds of people.
Il ran bacl to the Office to catch the
train at the mkt station, but I remembered
tnere was no lhice there. asked the sta
Sion, where tie 5 train got its orders, to
hold the traif, but it had been gone twenty
minutes. Bob trains were flying along
oeVween telegraph stations and MOTH
ing could b heard of them until
somebody brought news from the wreck. /
calculated thst in fifteen minutes the trains
would meet. / aroused the day operator
an9 told him had run two trains together,
q ana asked him what l must do. Good
uo0! ne said, as he hustled into his clothes
ana ran to the office with me. He worked
ene wires some, and, looking up at me, he
Salu: I es, my boy, that's what you've
uone' The old engineer lowed his head.
pockets, perfectly resigned. | had grown
eearu, and although pictured to myself the
laCe Oh the two fast trains, the terrible
aateatns, the shrieks, cries of the WOUNDED,
Ine cracking of the burning cars and the
IlodnS and groans or the dying,
old not finch. had
crown callous. / was sure enough
aard. wouldn't have worked another day
.or the road if my life depended on 1t. I
was SICK OF 1t. II had had the money the
toau mad paid me would have turned it
oack TO 1t and gone my own way. l was
gOt TO dig weeds, do anything, just SO
We'll, the day man calculated when the
y th aus would meet, and We sat and watched
Sue CLOCK. He would look sorrowfully at
me- and then at the clock. He looked as if
~ n wanted to help me, but he was power
. Oiss; Every time the instrument would
IIHcA' ned start as if somebody had shot at
=; .tn' ana then he'd sink back into his chair
~ q. deep stedy The rough old engineer
9 sI The time was drawing near when
VIC VIC trains should meet, and he looked up
ana sac, SAID, one more minute
l., one more / repeated, like was dream
tllg. The quarter went, the half went, the
'N..tese;-quarters elapsed. and then the crashl
nv ell, It's over, guess said extending
Wy uand to him. He was always a good
bb sat fellow, and treated me like a
t taoVIer. de took my hand and | saw a
S S'ar ran from his eye. l turned and walked
cut Of the Office into the moonlight"
b;1l pause, and the little man looked before
MIN into the fire.
rive years later, he began again. sat an
TTnnuai meeting of the Brotherhood Of
a locomotive Engineers, in New York, i met
q tnan whom knew I'd seen before. Some
b hGw' 20 save my life thought couldn't place
I I asked him if he was from the south.
- replied that he was. ] asked him If he
Yes