The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-08-15
INTO FLAME.


cif1c when our train was delayed at Mo-
jave, Cal 1t was evident that we would
have plenty of time, and I made has5y
acquaintance with citizen who soon in
troduced me to an old engineer, John Bar
tholomew, who had the reputation of hav-
ing the most thrilling record In the histo-
~ of the road. I asked the old man to
tell me his story:
cit isn't much of a story" said the
white haired old veteran, "but if you
want to hear it III tell you. 1t was in the
summer of 1870. 1 was running an 'ex-
ira passenger engine on one of the noun
tain divisions of the u. P, and, a young
engineer-then. had a rather unenEiable
record as a wild and reckless runner.
cat that time the government was max
ing lots of changes among the army posts
on the frontier, and almost every week we
had one or more of what we called gov
eminent specials, moving the soldiers and
their families and belongings from one
post to another. One morning l was
called to go out on one of these runs,
and as I coupled my engine TO the train
the conductor handed me a message from
the superintendent telling us to rush that
train through with all possible speed. 1t
just suited me exactly. had light train
-four baggage cars, three coaches and a
'sleeper'-and 1 knew 1 could make a rec
waiting for for long time.
"In the first hour made so miles and
then-well, 1 never had chance to better
it. We received an order to meet a passen-
ger train and pass a freight going in the
same direction as ourselves at the next
stat on.
"There were two side tracks there, and
the freight train occupied one of them, and
pulled in on the other. The station was
ipI& at ho ton of a vaTsv hnaxrv crra6a and
the track down this hill was very crooked.
The passenger train came little late, and
in my hurry to get out I did not give tbs
brakeman time to open the switch, and
got the front truck of my engine off the
track. It did no damage TO the engine,
but it gave the fire that left me as 1 am
now good chance to get a-going.
"At last we got started, and as I looked
back from my cab at the first curve 1 saw
the freight train on the main track ready
to follow US down the hill. My train was
running at full so miles an hour as I
turned the last long curve at the foot of the
grade, and there in plain view was the
mouth of Winnemucca tunnel choked from
the rail to the roof with mass of roaring
flames It was nearly quarter OF a mile
away, and knew could stop my train,
but 1 looked back across the curve and
could see hardly 1000 feet behind me,
that heavy freight train rushing along al
most as fast as l was running. It was be-
fore the time of airbraRes on freight
trains, and I realized in less than a second
that no power then in. use could stop that
train in time to save the lives of the hun
dreds of soldiers and their wives and little
ones in the cars. behind me. The very
force of the collision would drive my train
into the tunnel, where, without power to
move, they would surely perish.
81 thong ht oI1ick then NV fireman had
jumped the minute he saw the fire. and I
was alone on the engine. 1 knew the tim
bers in the tunnel were very heavy, and
my only chance was that the fire had not
burned through them so that they had
dropped to the rail. I threw coal into the
frebox until we reached the mouth of the
tunnel. and then dropped the cab cur
tains, shut the windows and waited
II was right in my guess. None of the
timbers was down, but one big one, burned
out at the top, was started by the jar of
the train and fell just in time to catch the
corner of the cab. The speed of the train
threw the log lengthwise with the track,
but it took the engine cab with it. 1 had
been all right until this happened, but
then in the intense heat commenced to
roast. pulled out the throttle as far as
it would go and then crawled back into
the tender and lay down beside the iron
water space and prayed for death. just
remember seeing the blue sky as we shot
out of the mouth of that living hell, and
that was the last knew for over week.
was in the hospital for over year, and as
no one else was hurt except my fireman,
and he was at work again in about a
month, I have nothing to regret. When I
could get out and get around, the general
manager told me I should draw engineers
pay as long as I lived, work or not, as !
pleased. I try to do what 1 can, but, as you
see, it's not much, but I always get my
pay just the same"
Brave old John Bartholomew He was
made of the stuff of which heroes are fash
toned, and in these days of souIless corpo-
rations it is pleasant to know that the man
agement of one great railroad appreciates
his sacrifice and tries to make his declining
years pleasant Exchange. -