The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-19
JUMPING RON A TRAIN.
A Locomotive Engineer Relates some Ex'
citing Experiences.

A Locomotive Engineer Relates some E1'
citing Experiences.
'Did you ever jump from your cab while
the train was going ut full speeds' asked a
Detroit Free Press reporter OF a locomotive
engineer the other day.
"Ycs, 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 MS headed for each other on a
single track ut n gait Of 40 miles an hour.
The first thing | saw was n headlight Of the
other locomotive rounding a curve 80 rods
away. l shut 'er off, threw over the lever
and set the airbrakcs and then made a
Jump. I'd no time to pick for n spot, and
as l Jumped / realized that I'd have n bad
time of it, as l knew every foot OF the
ground. 1t was on a level covered with n
thistle patch.
.There was a strip Of them 40 rods long
growing up like cornstalks. expect they
broke my full somewhat, but j don't know
that l ever hit the ground until ! fetched
up for good. 1t seemed to me that l just
swept through that patch about knee high
from the ground, and when there were no
more thistles TO knock down l landed 'ker-
chugi' against an old stump and uprooted
II. j broke a leg and An arm, but that
wasn't the worst of it. The a~ctor esti-
mated the number of thistle points sticking
into my body mt zoo, 100000. My wife and
l have been picking 'em out ever since they
got me home, and we've only finished one
side of me-"
Landing in a mud puddle would be a
soft thing" l suggested.
1--WE been there" he replied, with a fleet
ing smile. while l was running freight
49,. 1..5k - n,1. t,anl. 10 n ryvox val stf at n
certain point. In excavating ut the main
line they dug a hole about 20 feet long by
10 wide and 4 deep. As a rule, this hole
was always full Of water, and as it was on
my side of the engine and always carne
under my eye l got to thinking what n
snap I'd have if l had to makea jump right
there"
But you never had tor"
Didn't /? There was n little station.
just II mile above this hole, and it was o
sharp up grade. One day. while we were
humping along to make the station, a doz-
en- ears broke loose from q 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! il l wasn't justwhere
] wanted to be-right at the pond. l wait
ed to pass the mile post, and then shut my
eyes and took a header, feeling sorry at the
same instant for my fireman, who'd got to
jump among the stu1nps. Well, l struck"
I'm the w~aters" asked as he paused
and worked u finger in his ear.
"Oh, no! There had been II long spell Of
hot, dry weather, and every pint Of water
had cvaporated 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 l rolled over and houndered
around for five minutes and could never
have pulled myself out unassisted. l didn't
break any bones but-ugh!"
"What?"-
MUD! l took 81 baths before I got down
SO l could see my hide, and it was hours be-
fore mud quit washing out Of my ears,
eyes, nose and mouth. l tasted mud. I felt
mud crawling up and down my back. l
snuffed mud. found mud in my pockets
and combed it out of my hair until l got
tired and let the balance go. I'm running
On the road yet, but Pm not spotting off
any mud holes to land in.s On the contrary.
If things turn out as l have figured, my
next jump will be into u patch of blackber-
ry bushes, with an old dead tree in the CELL
ter. and / confidently expect to NOW down
everything in my path"