The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-04-25
THE OPEN DRAW.

"The closest run ever had in my life, +"
said an engineering friend of mine one day,
was once when was fireman on freight
train on the N. Y. R. r. The engineer
ran with was Scotchman by the name of
Joe Williams.
Joe had only one fault-he drank.
1.-THE time refer to was the morning of
the Fourth of July. We were running
what was called the morning freight and
had to start every day by 4:30. On this
morning Joe was late. In q few minutes
we got started, picked up our load and
were fairly off. 1t was clear morning and
bid fair for fine day, but about sunrise it
began to get misty, and we were soon en-
veloped in one of the heaviest fogs I ever
saw.
"At H, Eben Capron, another engi-
neer, who was off duty 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 for him
as far as he went, but Joe declined.
Thicker and thicker came the fog until
we could scarcely see the length of two
cars ahead. Joe went very carefully indeed
and did not run as fast as is usual. In fact,
he went so slowly that at last Eben COM
menced to banter him on the prospect OF
getting to the end Of the route sooner than
could naturally be expected.
"'Well, just look here said joe Pm
drunk, and you know it, and if should go
fast and run the train off the track 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 good deal of
switching to do, and just as we were ready
to start the conductor came up and said:
"'Nothin for P; keep straight through
to F.. You have gone so confounded
slow that you are almost an hour behind
time. 1 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 fast enough for you if
that'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
""There,' said Eben, do you see that?
You'll have the conductor here pretty soon.'
"'Well, the fact is'-and Joe slowly
winked one eye-'there's a vessel at P
waiting to pass, and want to get over the
bridge before it's opened.'
"The river there was nayipable and was
crossed by a drawbridge, and very often
we had to stop and wait on one side to let
a vessel pass. When it was omen. there was
red ball hoisted in the daytime and red
light at night.
Then you are nearing it, continued
Eben, for there's the last post before you
reach the river, and-supposing the draw is
".Vbat for, The s;gno, lent ,a;sod,
"sRnt won con1dn,t 90 T. fo- tta TO-,
".Ob nsbawI there isn,t anv foo, Nv,
"sYes. there ia a foo now For Code
sake. Joe. don't murder usl Here. let ma
take YOUR place until we get across,
"The sentence was never finished He
was standing mn. looking ont ahead when
all at once. So IF he had haa, strnct bv a
cannon shot he dronned into bis seat and
his face turned as white as a bleached sheet.
Will, .he black streaks of SCOT and grease
stood out in horrible contrast. He had seen
the red sienall I whistled down brakes.
and he grasped the lever and reversed the
engine
@Tbe conductor craz;lv s;onaled .ston,
after he had heard the whistle and when
the train was running by it's own momen-
tum,
''As to Joe, he saw that everything was
done or being done. and he sat there like a
block of marble. His drunkenness was all
gone His first words were land he spoke
like man talking in his sleep):
"sWell. bows. Pll never get drunk any
more as long as live.'
"tNo. s'pose not replied Eben. as he
gave the lever another jerk, for probably
you won't live more than a quarter of a
minute
Jump, if you want to- Joe answered;
I hope shall die if the train gets smashed.
But-that craft isn't moving; the end of
the bridge is swinging toward US
"'That's SO; they are shutting it. God
help us, we may be saved yet
''Sure enough, the bridge was rapidly