The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-01-09
OVER THE OPEN A

fireman on a freight train on N Y-R
r.. The engineer Iran with was a Scotch
man by the name of Joe Williams.
"Joe>had only one fault-he drank
1.-THE time I refer to was the morn
ing of the Fourth of July. We were
running what was called the morning
freight, and had to start every day at
4:3O.
ION this morning joe was late. I
had got the engine out on the track all
ready for business, and was Just de-
batting in my mind whether I mightn't
run down to the depot and hitch on to
the train, when suddenly the missing
gentleman came up, and I could see
by his appearance that he had been
celebrating the Fourth with rather
more than his usual degree of success.
"Au right, I believe" I replied.
1 a few minutes we got started.
picked up our load and were fairly off.
1t was a clear morning, and bid fair
for a fine day, but about sunrise it
began to get misty, and we were soon
enveloped In one Of the heaviest fogs
I ever saw
"At H, Eben Capron, another en-
gineer, who was off duty for that day,
got on with us. He was going home
to spend the Fourth, and OURS was the
first conveyance that came along.
When he saw that it was all that Joe
could do to carry himself straight, he
offered to run the train as far as he
went, but Joe declined.
HE was responsible for it's safety,
he said, and would put it through all
right if the steam didn't give out
Thicker and thicker became the fog
until we could scarcely see the length
of two a r ahead. Joe was very care
ful indeed, and did not run as fast as
usual. In fact, he went so slow that
at last Eben commenced to banter him
on the prospect of getting to the end of
his route o than could naturally
be expected.
"Well, just look here" said Joe.
I'm drunk, and you know it, and if I
should go fast and run the train off
the track I reckon you'd both of you
swear it was the fault of the drunken
engineer
by the time we got to c.. the fog
had partly lifted. Here we had a good
deal of switching to do, and just as we
were ready to start, the conductor
came up and said:
Nothing for P, keep straight
through to E. You have gone so
COMPOUNDED slow that you are almost
an hour behind time. I should have
hurried you up if it hadn't been for the
fog. All right, go ahead, and he waved
his hand and started back toward the
rear car.
"Well, I'll go go fast enough for you,
iflthat's what you want, muttered Joe.'
Faster and faster we went until the
conductor evidently began to be afraid,
for it was still so foggy that we could
not see over half a mile ahead, and he
signaled slower
"tAh, hal you are scared, are yer
grimly remarked Joe, and with a slight
exertion or his brawny arm he added
another five miles per hour to u
already frightful speed. At this Eben
felt called upon to demonstrate.
"Joe,' said he, you are getting too
wild"
"Well 1 shan't go any faster" re;
piled Joe, soothingly. i think if I
keep at this gait I will soon make up
for lost time, won't II
He was interrupted by the con.
ductor again signaling
"a little slower
There said Eben' do you hear
that You'll have the conductor here
pretty soon
"Well, the fact is said Joe, slowly,
winking n eye, there's a vessel at
P waiting to pass, and I want to get
over the bridge before it's opened
''The river there was navigable, and
was crossed by a drawbridge, and very
often we had to stop on side and
wait to let q vessel pass. When it was
opened there was a red ball hoisted in
the day time, and a red light at night.
''Then you r nearing it, continued
Eben, for there's the post before you
reach the river, and-supposing the
draw is opened. Joe, you had better
slacken upP
"sWhat fort The signal isn't raised
but you couldn't see it for the fog
"Oh pshawI There isn't any fog
now
McYes- there is q fog now. Joe, for