Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-18


dim lights Of another train, emphasized by
a clearer light us the furnace door was
opened by the fireman Bill Jones saw il
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 II shrill whistle sound.
ed through the night. Two minutes later
an answering blast loated sleepily across
the water.
The express rumbled on, now at full
speed, whizzing by a coal train, which had
crossed over to the west bound track to let
1t pass, and ratified through Middletown
past long lines of other freights held back
by the angry red Of the semaphore so that
the express might not be delayed at the in
tersection.
ON A SINGLE TRACK ROAD.
Far ahead the signal governing the east
bound track shone crimson. Suddenly it
turned into white light and Jones re-
leased the air which he had just put on, the
train dashed forward and, with jolt, q
rumble and n twist sped across the main
line tracks disappearing down the Mount
Joy branch, the single track line used for
passenger service between Lancaster and
Harrisburg. t-..... ....
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 ex-
press going west. The silence Of night was
almost oppressive, and the only sound
which broke the stiffness was the steady
working of the injectoB resembling moth
ing so much rs person painting after a
long run. .
From down the valley came faint whis-
tie, then rumble, Il roar, the fash of a
headlight and the rush Of heavy train
dashing by at full speed, with scarcely u
light visible in the long line of sleepers
AS it passed Ell reused himself and pulled
the whistle cord sharply three times to
warn the other engineer of the section fol-
lowing, and then he started his train again
for Lancaster.
Meanwhile the rear brakeman was stand
ing half doing on the platform of the last
sleeper. He heard Jones give the signal to
the engineer of the Pacific, 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 fioated
back another signal. loot foot, toot.
A BRAHEMAN's DILEMMA.
The brakeman's heart leaped. That
meant there was another section of the Pa
ciic, also, close behind, and the engineer
had neglected to call Jones attention to
the green lamps on his own engine until
aroused by Bill's whistle. The brakeman
was in a quandary Should he pull the
bell cord and stop the train only to find that
Bill already knew of the second section Of
Pacific running that night aud was sup
piled with ORDERS he would invite repri-
mand for his ofliciousness. On the other
hand, If his fears were we'll founded and
the express was running on the single
track toward the opposing train
He resolved to run the risk of leaving his
post and 20 forward. 1t is no easy task to
thread ones way through three or four
sleepers, around staterooms and smoking
apartments, aud it is still more difficult to
pass through an ordinary coach in the mid
die of the night, when passengers sprawl
into easy attitudes and extend their limbs
into the aisles.
Like an age it seemed to the brakeman
ere he gained the platform of the front car,
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 into
the engineers ear. "My Godl no."
Then the man accustomed to dangers
made lightning calculation There would
be Mt least twenty five minutes hea1way
between the two sections caused by the
stop at Lancaster Fully five minutes had
already expired, and he knew by the sur
roundings Mount Joy was four miles be-
hind.
SAVED BY A sCREECH
Within the next five minutes the second
section, if on time, would leave Lancaster
and run slowly to Dillerville, the junction
of the branch and the main line. Could
he with eight cars run the seven miles and
get there ahead of the west bound train?
Ay, if it were in the wood.
He threw the levers as far as they would
go and the train bounded ahead $50
back, JIM" he shouted to the hagman,
"this is no place for you if we meet her."
and the trainman obeyed. Three, five,
seven, eight minutes passed, and the heavy
train was shooting forward nearly a mile
every minute, but each second brought the
crisis nearer He held down the whistle
cord, and long, uninterrupted blast
sounded, but to the fevered senses of the
engineer it made no noise.
He could see portion of the main line
now, but not where the passenger trains
run. Then the engine swung.around, and
directly in front was Dillerville tower, Civ
ing him the clear signal, while lying mo-
tionless just beyond was the second section
of Pacific, held back by the warning red of
the semaphore. The tower man had heard
the wild screech of Jones' engine and
stopped the west bound train in the nick
of time.
That happened ten years ago.-Philadel
phia TimeS