The Portland daily press., 1893-10-28
JUMPING FRoM a TRAIN.
Locomotive Engineer Relates Some Ell
citing Experiences.

a Locomotive Engineer Relates Some Ell
citing Experiences.
did you ever jump from your cab whila
the train was going at full speed?" asked
Detroit Free Press reporter of locomotive
engineer the other day.
Eyes, three or four times" he answered
whats the sensation?"
THAT'S according to how you land. One
night three years ago the train dispatcher
got two of us headed for each other on q
single track at a gait of 40 miles an hour.
The first thing saw was headlight of the
other locomotive rounding a curve 80 rods
away. I shut Ter off, threw over the lever
and set the airbrakes and then made q
jump. I'd no time to pick for spot, and
as jumped 1 realized that I'd have bad
time of it. as l knew every foot of the
ground. Tt was on level covered with a
thistle patch.
There was a strip of them 40 rods long
growing up like cornstalks. expect they
broke my fall somewhat, but don't know
that ever hit the ground until / fetched
up for good. 1t seemed to me that Just
swept through that patch about knee high
from the ground, and when there were no
more thistles to knock down 1 landed kerr
chug! against an old stump and uprooted
it. broke a leg and an arm, but that
wasn't the worst of it. The doctor esti-
mated the number of thistle points sticking
into my body at 1 ZOO. 900, O0o My wife and
have been picking 'em out ever since they
got me home, and we've only finished one
side of me,'
Landing in mud puddle would be a
soft thing" suggested
HI'yE been fbera ~ he rap1ia5 with AaoA
ing smile while was running freight
they built side track to gravel pit at a
certain point. In excavating at the main
line they dug hole about 20 feet long by
10 wide and deep. AS rule, this hole
was always full Of water, and as it was on
my side of the engine and always came
under my eye I got to thinking what a
snap I'd have if had to makea jump right
there" sos sf5f
But you never had tor"
Didn't l? There was little station.
just mile above this hole, and it was a
sharp up grade. One day, while we were
humping along to make the station, doz-
en- cars broke loose from freight side track
ing at that station, and down they came
like so many roaring lions after their prey.
BY the time had whistled for brakes and
reversed my engine, it was time to Jump
and, bless my soul! if wasn't just where
wanted to be-right at the pond. wait
ed to pass the mile post, and then shut my
eyes and took header, feeling sorry at the
same instant for my fireman, who'd got to
jump among the stumps. Well, I struck"
In the water?" I asked as he paused
and worked finger in his ear.
"Oh, nos There had been long spell of
hot, dry weather, and every pint of water
had evapnrated out of that pond. The mud
was left behind though There was three
feet of it waiting to catch some sucker, and
it caught me. l went head first to the bot
tom. Then I rolled over and f1oundered
around for five minutes and could never
have pulled myself out unassisted. didn't
break any bones, but-ugh!'
''What?''
Mud! ] took 81 baths before got down
SO could see my hide, and it was hours be-
fore mud quit washing out of my ears,
eyes, nose end mouth. tasted mud. felt
mud crawling up and down my back. I
snuffed mud. found mud in my pockets
and combed it out of my hair until got
tired and let the balance CO. Pm running
on the road vet but Pm not sporting off
any mud holes to land in. On the contrary,
If things turn out as I have figured, my
next jump will be into patch of blackber-
ry bushes, with an old dead tree in the cen
ter, and l confidently expect to NOW down
everything in my path"
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