Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-05-17
BRAVE ANDY MULLEN.
A Faithful Engineer Nha Stuck TO
Old 1gt In Time Of Need
A Marvellous Escape
From Death.

To tls, Editor Of the Ledger.
MEXICO, Mo-, May 12.-When
the Chicago * Alton train was
wrecked Wednesday night few
miles this side of Louisiana there
was a marvellous escape from de,
struction to many who were upon it.
The tremendous storm of that
night made every cliff mass of
varying, slipping mud, and as we
were rounding one of them with the
cllff towering fifty feet above US on
one side and a raging torrent, three
or four feet deep and eighty feet
wide, upon the other, rock came
rolling down the cliff and rested
upon the near rail.
The projecting box of the engine
truck struck this rock, tearing the
box from its fastenings and turning
the truck around at 4 right angle to
its proper place.
In this position, plowing through
the road bed and tearing up the
ties for four car lengths, it gradual
ly inclined the engineer what was
left of ito the inside OF the curve
until after what seemed an hour to
us the momentum was expended
and the train stopped with the
engine a wreck, four cars off of the
track and more or less broken.
Then it was that out into the
blackness and confusion of all about
US, and high above the roar of the
storm and crash of the thunder, the
whistle gave one long CHEEKY blast
and we knew that amid the crush
ing of timber, the swapping Of iron
beams and the swaying and jump
ing Of the cars the man who had our
lives in his hand, and whose danger
was far greater than ours, was still
at his post. There was more elo-
quence tor us in that whistle blast
than in sermon, more melody even
in its shrill scream than in soul
stirring organ peel.
1t was the engineers song of de-
liyerance upon the one instrument
his stiffened fingers had been taught
to master to an Over-ruling and
watchful Providence.
1t was to US clarion note sound.
ing out that amid all the danger of
flood on the one hand and overr
ali the confusion and uncertainty OF
the last few moments were ended,
duty had been performed, trust had
been Loyalty discharged.
Then, when the excitement had
passed and all had settled down to
what comfort they could secure
while waiting for the wrecking car,
this same unerring hero came in and
in the most unassuming, quiet man.
ner, warned us that another huge
rock was impending over us from
the top of the cliff. So quiet and un,
assuming was he that not until he
had twice urged us to Leave the car
did ne realize our danger; but we
had little more than gotten comfort
ably seated in another car when that
rock, weighing more than one hum
dred tons, came crashing down into
the car we had Just left.
When, amid the roaring of the
tempest and the deluge of rain that
night, Andrew Mullen climbed onto
No. 191 he knew he was taking his
life in his hand, for he knew, las only
railroad engineers can know, that
from every cliff he rounded death
dealing rocks might roll from their
unstable seat, that every culvert
might be yawning chasm and
every bridge might be so only in
name, its foundation gone, and
stretching its length in seeming
safety only to lure him to destruc-
ton. 1t is these constant possi-
bilities and the responsibility for
hundreds of lives that make these
men grow old so fast. Unseen, un-
known excepting among themselves
they are heroes every day, and that
they take these risks and so brayely |
and so Loyalty discharge their duty
affords the measure of their praise. |
All honor to Andrew Mullen and
the entire brotherhood of locomotive