Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-10-01

That IL why One Engineer Always Has
Warm spot in His Heart for the
knights Of tho Road--A
Airscuious Escape.

Mlr0ooluu3 Gso"ko
-
al don't mind seeing tramps rid
ing on my train said an old freigh,
engineer. "You see have warm
spefin my heart for the knights OF
the road, and / don't think the
average tramp is half as bad as he
Is painted. We ought to do some.
thing to reform these fellows, and II
ought to be done in kindly way.
The reason why Hike the tramp is
because ] owe my being alive st
this moment to about twenty OF
them. How did they save my lifef
Well, it was this way: was run
ming a freight engine on the Chicago
division OF the Panhandle when the
Incident am going TO relate oc
cSssfed. Ihad the. 413 at the head
Of thirty one cars of stock one dark
night, and was bowling along on the
smooth level track between English
Lake and Royal Center, when we
had to stop to cool off a hot box.
We had no air brakes Oh freight cars
In them days, and the stopping OF o
long, heavy train took considerable
time. Well, when we got started
again put on fun head Of steam,
and went down through the little
town of Denham at o forty-five-m!le-
an-hour pace, but were stopped by a
red light at Royal Center, and got
orders to wait for westbound fast
freight at the top Of the Logansport
hill.
'sIf you have ever been over the
Chicago division you noticed the
long, steep hill above Logansport.
Well, to be brief, when ! got to
where ! ought to have stopped, |
forgot my orders. The air brake
pump was the cause, for it was leak
ing, and I was thinking i would re-
port it to the roundhouse men at
Logapsport. Well, when I remem-
bered of the order to stop and take
siding, ! was going down the hill at
thirty-mile an-hour gait. had no
sooner thought of my awful error
when the fireman shouted: Stop
her, man; for Gods sake stopr He
had reason to be excited, for right
ahead of us coming up the hill, as
sisted by pusher, and both engines
making the sparks fly, was the fast
freight. I pulled the whistle, and
the old Alb let out long. startling,
dsapairing shrek for brakes. AT the
same time / plugged her and put
on the sand. ] knew we could not
get those two brakemen to set
enough brakes to give US any
chance for our lives, 50 we got down
on the steps, prepared to Jump but
the high, steep bank was too much
for us, aud instead Of jumping we
starIged to run backjover the cars. i
wondered what was reducing The
speed Of our train when reached
the second car, but the myster.
was explained when saw q man az
every brake screwiug up the wheels
as If the very devil was making him
to do it. Well, do you know that
we got the train stopped just as the
westbound trains engine pumped
ours, and there was not much
damage done. What stopped us?
Why, the fact Of the matter was
that when we stopped to cool off
that box some twenty-five tramps
boarded the train and were sitting
on top of the cars. When they saw
what l was whistling about they
took to setting the brakes, and no
train was ever stopped by air as
them fellows stopped that freight.
When they saw that terrible COLI
sion had been averted they began to
cheer like fiends, and ! could not
help but join in and cheer too.
That's how the tramps saved my
life, and that's why / have kind of
tender spot in my heart for the
knights OF the road. Pittsburgh
Post.
2iyl,s Btevcte Feat