The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-08-25
AN ENGINEERS NERVE.
A Story Of Railroading In the
Olden Days.

OxACA 0oyS.
While the westward-bound express
was stopping at the Jericho station, I
noticed that the station master was in
close conversation with the engine
driver. This was an unusual act on
his part, as he strictly upheld the dig
nifty of his Office, and held no COM
munication with engine drivers except
to hand them such telegraphic orders
as he might happen to have received
for them. So after the train had de-
parted, and the station master had re-
turned to his usual 1ounging place on
the platform, l asked him who was
the man with whom he had been con-
versing.
THAT man?" he replied. THAT was
Hank Stevens, the best engineer on
this or any other road. I've known
him for going on twenty years, and
have helped to pull him out from un-
der three wrecked engines. He's quiet
and careful though nowadays, but
there was time when that there man
was just the greatest daredevil that
ever handled the throttle of an engine.
There is nothing in the world"
continued the station master, 'that re-
quires the nerve that engine driving
requires. You may talk about your
soldiers and your sailors, and don't
deny that they are nervy lot, but
they don't compare with an engineer.
When they see themselves getting into
a tight place they have some time to
look about them and to make up their
minds what to do; but when an en-
gineer running, say, at forty miles an
hour, round sharp curve, meets an
engine coming his way on the same
track, he hasn't even time to cuss. All
he can do is to reverse his engine,
which most times is big mistake, as
I've heard our best engineers say, and
either to jump and break his neck, or
to stay and be smashed. OF course the
engineer in such circumstances isn't
always killed, but / tell you it takes
nerve to handle lever and wait like
an intelligent man when another en-
CINE is almost atop of you. Nine men
out OF ten would just drop on the floor
of the cab and say the first bit of
prayer they could lay hand to.
Speaking of nerve reminds me that
there was an engineer on this road
once who lost his nerve under very sim
gular circumstances, and Hank Stevens
was at the bottom of those circum-
stances, as you might say. 1t isn't at
all uncommon for an engineer to lose
his nerve. 1t may happen through
having his spinal marrow hurt in an
accident; at least that's what the doc
tors say, or it may be that he has
been frightened once clear through,
and when that happens he's done for
The least little thing will brighten q
man who has had one good scare, and
he knows it and is always on the look
out for something that is going to
scare him. There are men who will
run an engine for forty years and then
something will happen; some little
thing, perhaps, like a collision, or &C.
ing off a bridge, or the bursting of a
boiler, and after that they are never
fit to run even a cattle train. Now
this here Hank Stevens was, at the
time l am speaking of, engineer of the
engine that hauled the accommodation
train between Athensville and Tibe-
RUS Center, and Matt McGinnis was
engineer of the express, being a man
who had been thirty years in the
company's service, and was considered
to have no superior in his line. He was
a very nice, quiet sort of fellow, and
he didn't like Hanks noisy and reck-
less ways, for there's no denying that
Hank was reckless at times don't
object to an engineer taking chances
when there is anything to be made by
1t, but Hank just took a pleasure in
running for a siding when he
knew that he had only mebbe
a minute to make 1t in, and that
If he didn't make it, or IL his
watch happened to be minute slow,
another train would be into him.
That's what call recklessness, and /
don't care who says it amt. Well.
every afternoon Hunks train used To
meet the express. Going up he would
meet her about ten miles north of here.
and going down he would meet her
just a mile out of Spartansville. 1t was
his duty to go on siding and wait for
the express, but when she was five
minutes late Hank had the right of
way, and could go ahead and require
the express to wait for him. You may
bet your life he never waited more
than the five minutes, and sometimes
he would pull out when he could hear I!
the express coming, and make her back
down to the next station.