The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-05-02
THE OPEN DRAW.

1.-THE closest run L ever had In my lie,
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 a Scotchman by the name of
Joe Williams.
Joe had only one fault-he drank.
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 AGO. On this
morning Joe was late. In 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 1T
began to get misty, and we were soon en-
veloped in one of the heaviest fogs l ever
saw.
AT H, Eben Capron, another engi-
neer, who was off duty that day, got on
with u.s. 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 I'm
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 E. You have gone so COMPOUNDED
slow that you are almost an hour behind
time. l 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 II
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
waiting to pass, and 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 and wait on one side to let
a vessel pass. When it was open, there was
a 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
open. Joe, you had better slack up
What for? The signal isn't raised
But you couldn't see it for the fog
oh, pshawl there isn't any fog now
Yes, there is a fog now. For Gods
sake, Joe, don't murder us! Here, let me
take your place until we get across
The sentence was never finished. He
was standing up, looking out ahead, when
all at once, as if he had been struck by a
cannon shot, he dropped into his seat, and
his turned as white as bleached sheet,
viii e black streaks of SCOT and grease
STOOD cut in horrible contrast. He had seen
the red signal ! whistled down brakes,
and he grasped the lever and reversed the
engine.
The conductor crafty signaled stop
after he had heard the whistle and when
the train was running by it's own momen-
tum.
LAS 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:
"'Well, boys, I'll never get drunk any
more as long as live
mo, spose 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 l shall die if the train gets smashed.
But-that craft isn't moving; the end OF
the bridge is swinging toward u.s.
That's so; they are shutting it. God
help us, we may be saved yet
''Sure enough, the bridge was rapidly
swinging into place. The tender had evil
IDENTIFY seen us coming and was trying to
close the draw against we came up, but it
was doubtful case.
1--WE had got so near now that we could
see the man on the bridge working as il
his own life, not ours, depended on his eff
forts. Eben was hugging the lever with
all his might, and Joe had convulsively
grasped one of the forward faucets as if tc
steady himself, ana Tor the Iast nve sec
onds of that awful suspense do not be
lieve there was a single heart beat on the
engine.
''Three ticks more of the clock and VIZ
should have rolled over the abutment, but
with thud the bridge swung to its place
and we were on it and passing over safe anc
sound.
GOD bless you. Smith, shouted Joe Il
the bridge tender as we ran past, and h,
waved his cap with wild JOY.
"We afterward learned that the bridg,
was open to let small vessel pass, but tn,
bridge tender heard the train and knew By
the sound that it was coming at an unusua
rate of speed. Suspecting something wa
wrong, he signaled the vessel to stop ant
closed the bridge as quick as he could, an,
as it proved just in time to save US all from
destruction. "-ExchanGe.
H. tt-r