The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-11-16
standing on the track opposite the Kim
ball house. steaming and blowing ready
to pull out for Chattanooga.

stanuIuE Op lue t[aCk oPpoeito tue Aiu-
ball house, steaming and blowing ready
to pull out for Chattanooga.
Charley Barrett Is as courteous on his
engine as he would be in drawing
room. It's his home almost, and he
says, II love 240 next to the old lady
and the children"
Three times in his experience on the
rail has Charley Barrett been where his
life was only saved by scratch.
The other night just few minutes be-
fsrs 7.45 o'clock, when Engineer Bar
rett's train is scheduled to leave Atlanta
he told his story sitting in his seat Of the
locomotive.
"Just about q year ago." said he, II
was running on this same schedule, and
with this same engine. left here one
Sunday night on time, and went rushing
out through the unusually quiet and
sleepy city. As soon as got past the
city limits I let her 60 at rattliug good
speed.
eve were speeding along like the
wind out near the six.mile post. I was
resting my hand on the engineers valve
as I always do, and looking forward I
saw nothing wrong in hont-the track
was clear. But with an awful sudden
nsls felt my engine sink down and 60
humping over the ties.
"I knew what was the mattsr-we
we're of the traok-and the knowledge
froze the blood in my veins, for I knew
that going at the rate We were going
something terrible was at hand.
II can't describe the feeling that came
over me. In twenty seconda every act of
my life passed in swift, Kaleidoscope
views before me. There are no words in
the English language strong enough to
describe that feeling. Just confront
man with death in an instant and imag-
inc the rest.
IT hadn't half miaute TO wait, but it
seemed an age. All grew densely dark,
I felt myself flying through the air, I
knew not where. I heard a crashing of
timbsrs, the clashing of irons, the shrieks
of people and the angry hiss of escaping
steam-a thousand horrors rushed upon
me. My senses swan about and then
there was blank.
"When I came around my fireman
stood over me trying to lift me from be.
meath some timbers. I lay in briar
thicket, where I had besn thrown,
thirty feet from the right of way. My
engine had been hurled around, and
stood facing the track. The baggage
sad mail cars we're piled up on an en-
bankment. The passenger coaches and
sleepsrs I had saved by turning on the
brakes the instant the crash came. That
was terrible experience, and will
never forget it."
Charley Bsrret!'s hair, as the story
goes, turned gray on the night of that
awful experience. With laugh he de.
clares that it did have something to do
with it.
"But think I have broken the
Yitch's head now," said he, referring to
popular superst;!icn among engineers.
"You know they say if you have three
narrow escapes you've killed the witch,
ard you are safe ever afterwards"
ED. wATERHoUsE's TERRIBLE RIDE.
Ed. Waterhouse pulls a passenger
train between Atlanta and Macon every
day, and is one of the best engineers on
the road. This means, of course, that
besides being efficient on the engine, he
never deserts his post in Time of danger.
"I've hsd some mighty cloae calls"
said he the other night as he oiled up
his big engine, the partner of "Nancy
Hanks" preparatory for leaving on his
run, "and I've been right in the jaws of
death four or five times. I had lively
collision at Jouesboro two or three years
ago. I collidsa with my own train at
Miller some years back, but the worat,
the very worst, ever had was at Nc.
Pherson barracks one year ago last Jan.
usry.
"I left here on engise 552 pulling the
Macon train scheduled to leave hers at
40 O'Clock p. M. Conductor Ennis was
in charge. No thought of an accident
ever entered my mind. So we'll regula-
led is the management of the Central,
and 80 thoroughly drilled are its employ.
ees that accidents are rare.
"Wlea I rounded that curve just this
side Of McPerson was moving along at
the rate of forty-fve miles an hour.
When you gat around that curve you
have full view of the depot and track
at the fort, and as I swung around I saw
to my borrow a freight train standing on
the main line directly in front of me.
"To stop WAS impossible. To jump
meant death to myself and many of the
passengers. The awful feeling thst
comes over engineers at such times came
over me, but hadn't time to think. By
the time I had reversed my steam We
were upon the train. Turning my back
upon it I held firmly to my engine and
waited for the claah.
81 will never attempt to describe what
happened. I could no more do 1t than I
could give the details of cyclose's pas
sage. If the whole world had exploded
it couldn't have affected me more.
"Why wasn't killed l don't know"
and tho engineers voice grew tender.
"It's one of the modern miracles. To
have looked at tho terrible wrek after.
wards one would have regarded it as i'm
possible that man could have gone
through It and lived.