The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1892-02-27
THE APPEAlI NATIONAL AFROAMERICANN NEWSPAPER
A HAZARDOUS TRIP.
A Railroad Mans Perilous Fourteen NIL,
Run.

A Railroad Mans Perilous Fourteen Mile
Funny, isn't it, what daredevil acts
railroad men will often do?" asked
little travelling man or few friends as
he dropped into one of the Grand Pacific
rOtunda chairs.
'Yes, something like trying to run
two trains on the same track. Or trying
to see whether the rails or a mans leg
T is the hardest" suggested fellow
drummer.
h mo, mean in the ordinary course of
business. The other day started for
Washington, and 1 had premonition
that the trip was not to be of the best,
for on the way to the depot l purchased
"a pocket-comb of a street vender. who
gave me quarter too much change
We got as far as Auburn Junction, and
it was awful dark, when the station
agent informed us that there was
wreck between us and Defiance,
O. Later he said there were
two wrecks, and that three men
had been killed. The debris was
piled so high upon the tracks that it
them. I saw our conductor and engi-
neer in close conversation.
'Suddenly the conductor said: Bill,
there is nothing left US but to run
around on the Wabash tracks to Def
snce.'
But the Wabash has no operator
here to give us orders, answered the
engineer.
"'Oh, Ill cut you off and We'll turn
the engine around at the round-house
table and make our way over the four
teen miles of strange track. As long as
your headlight shows up you can creep
over the road, can't you?
1.-THE knight of the throttle was a
careful man, but he knew that the
United States mail was being DELAYED
and a couple of hundred passengers
We're angrily demanding that the
trainmen 90 something to hurry
them on. III go you,' he said,
and the engine went down to the
turn-table to turn around. Upon COM
ing back it was discovered that it would
be impossible to couple her to the hind
end of our train, as the sleeper draft
irons were Of d different pattern and
higher than the coupler Of the engine.
Another pause for deliberation. Final
ly the conductor advised the engineer
to go back turn around and couple on
in the original position. Well lust
cross over the spur and back up the
fourier miles, And we did That
stretch of fourteen miles, on a night as
dark as pitch, over an unknown road,
without headlight and with two hun
dred passengers unaware of the risk
the trainmen were running to accom-
modate them, and-well, l tell you it
was exciting. No orders, no nothing,
as you might say.
Il stood on the hind end, which was
then the fore end, with the conductor
and two brakemen, as we slowly dug
our way through the darkness. The
hagmen carried red lanterns and torpe-
does, to run ahead and flag should
train be heard approaching, but it was
dollars to butternuts that had head
light appeared around one of those un-
known curves no one of our train could
have reached the approaching train in
time to prevent her from crashing into
our train. I've done little railroading
in my time, and l have taken train
over some pretty risky places, but that
fourteen miles of backing up, without
orders, without a headlight to aid our
progress, and on a strange track, is
about the most squeamish ride I ever
travelled. That shows you how many
risks railroad man will take to please
the travellers. y Chicago News