The Portland daily press., 1892-04-02
FouRTEEA MILES OF FEAR.

A Ride Back End Foremost Over
Strange Railroad Track by Night.
) "Funny, isn't it, what daredevil acts
railroad men will often dol" asked a
little travelling man of few friends as
he dropped into one Of the Grand Pacific
rotunda chairs.
eyes, something like trying to run
two trains on the same track or trying
to see whether the rails or q mans leg is
the hardest" suggested a fellow drum
mer.
business. The other Gay started for
Washington and I had premonition
that the trip was not to be of the best,
for on the way to the depot purchased
pocket comb of a street vender, who
gave me a 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 a
wreck between us and Defiance, O..
Later he said there were two wrecks
and that three men had been killed. Thu
debris was piled so high upon the tracks
that it would take the wreckers hours
to clear them. I saw our conductor and
engineer in close conversation.
Suddenly the conductor said, Bill,
there is nothing left us but torun around
on the Wabash tracks to Defiance
"sBut the Wabash has no operator
here to give us ORDERS answered the en-
gineer.
"'Oh, I'll cut you off and we'll turn
the engine around at the roundhouse
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?
'sThe knight of the throttle was a
careful man, but ne knew that the
United States mail was being delayed
and couple Of hundred passengers were
angrily demanding that the trainmen dc
something to hurry them on. I'll go
you,' he said, and the engine went down
to the turntable to turn around. Upon
coming 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 different pattern and
higher than the coupler Of the engine.
Another pause for elaboration.
"Finally the conductor advised the
engineer to go back, turn around and
couple on in the original position.
We'll just cross over on the spur and
back up the fourteen miles And we
did That stretch of fourteen miles on
night as dark as pitch, over an I'm
known road, without headlight and
with 200 passengers unaware of the risk
the trainmen were running to accommo.
date them and-wen, Itten you it was
exciting. No orders, no nothing, as you
might say.
''I stood on the hind end, which was
then the fore end, with the conductor
and four brakemen, as we slowly dragged
our way through the darkness. The
hagmen carried red lanterns and torpe
does to run ahead and flag should a
train be heard approaching, but it was
dollars to butternuts that had a head
light appeared around one of those I'M
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 have taken train over
some risky places, but that fourteen
miles of backing up without orders,
without headlight to aid our progress
and on strange track, is about the
most squeamish ride l ever travelled.
That shows you how many risks a rail
road man will take to please tho travel
ers.' Chicago News.