Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-03-31
CHASED BY DYNAMITE.

The engineer leaned back conlenteL-
ly in his cab and lit his pipe. The cX-
press WAS thirty minutes late. and that
meant Il very acceptable rest for the
crew of the local freight, which took
tn" siding at this point to permit the
passenger train to pass.
The airbrakcS on freight ears are
great things. Bill" he calculated. as
he watched the fireman rake down the
ashes; beats all what help they are
in holdin heavy train on Il down
grade. | saw Il time once when I'd
have given pile of money if there
had been such thing then, and twas
right on this division. too"
Lets hear about it. Pete" said the
fireman, putting the poker away and
chipping off some hard tobacco for his
corncob
Its Il good while ago now" the en-
ginc"r answered mcditatively. II was
runnin a puShrr between Conemaugh
and trrSson, helpin' freight and coal
trains up the hill. 1t was Just after
the strike in - when the boys raised
Cain. and the cause of that strike. if
you'll remember. was partly on ac-
count of the company cuttin down the
crews and doublin' the runs Now
adays. with box and coal ears fitted
with air. Il brakeman more or less
don't make much difference. but then
every man counted, and when they
dropped a chap off on these mountain
runs it made the rest feel slaky, for
ther" wasn't enough men left to tend
the brakes.
"Onc night it was our turn to assist
what was known as the Pan Handle
freight up the mountain. We started
out from Conemaugh about II 90 push
in the train. which was made up Of
about ten ears of hogs, two box cars
and fifteen or twenty four-whecl coal
ars-'Jmmies.' we called EN- The
box cars We're at the rear; that is. right
in front Of us. We made pretty fair
time up t" South Fork, where the food
broke afterwards, you know. Then
the engine in front began to steam
bad. and what with us pushin' hard
and it pullin' by fits, 'twasn't long be-
fore the ears were bumpin' and jerkin
pretty rough. Then | saw the conduc.
tor comm back hard as he could
When he got within hcarin he yelled.
For Gods saks stop that bumpin'. We
have two cars of dynamite in the
train.
Did stop it? You better believe
did. and mighty quick, too. | blowed
for brakes and the engineer In front
answered. and as the grade there is
about eighty feet to the mile we soon
stopped sent my fireman forward
to tell the other engineer to try and
get his steam gauge up. and that
wasn't g"in' to bump myself into eter-
nifty If ] knew it. After he was gone
| discovered my water was low and
concluded 10 run back TO stand pipe
about half Il mile down the track to
fill the tank. So, cuttin' the couplin'
myself. | dropped down. found
afterwards the crew didn't know |
had gon" and had failed to put the
brakes on the last cars, thinkin my
engine would hold 'em.
Il hadn't more than got alongside
the pipe than l caught glimpse of the
tail lamps of the train comm lickety
split towards me. l knew at once
broke in two and part of 1t was run
min wild down the hill. That often
happens. you know, and there amt
much danger in stoppin' the wild cars
all that's necessary bein' for the engl-
neer of the pusher to run backward
slowly, so rs to make the bump when
it comes easier than IL the engine was
stopped.
But you can bet wasn't hankerin'
to stop two ears of dynamite that way,
and when | saw 'em comm | didn't
stop at the pipe, but kept on goin'. My
old pusher jumped, and then lit out
down the hill. Jimmy crickets, how