The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-27
CRAZY ON THE CAB.
A" Experience Which shows What II
MAY he TO Be Fireman.

Speaking Of experiences" remarked
an old engineer to a Washington Star
reporter. have your permission to
narrate little one that happened to
me during my first year on an engine?"
Not only my permission" responded
the generous reporter. but my impera-
tive command and an invitation to take
something while you are about IT,"
The prellminaries being satisfactorily
| arranged. the engineer proceeded with
his story.
1T was twenty five years ago" he
said. and / was fireman on q road In
New York state. The engineer ] fired
for was, or rather had been. one OF the
best on the road. but he had been turn
ed over and steamed under locomotive
boiler in wreck and after that he was
given less important train. Not 80
much because he was any the less good
as an engineer. but because officials
have an Idea that II takes a mans
nerve away when serious accident
happens to him We had run OF
about seventy-ive miles. each way.
and on Sundays in summer we carried
excursions.
We had never had any trouble. but
for month before the experience l am
telling my engineer had been in a bad
temper and acted as ugly as the mis-
chief. l reported the matter to the
division superintendent and he told me
to stick 1t out for a month or so longer,
as they proposed to relieve the old man
and put him at work in the shops. Two
Sundays after that we were returning
In the evening about 8 o'clock behind
time, owing to delays occasioned by
washouts causing us to run slow and
cautious. We had twenty miles to go,
and it was over the worst part Of the
road, and was watching out Of the cab
when all at once the engineer gave a
shout and made grab at me. His eyes
were blazing, and / could see In a sec
ond that he was either drunk or crazy
How ! got away from him l don't
know, for he did his best to throw me
off the cab, but got away and climbed
up on the wood pile up on the tender.
He didn't follow. but turned at once to
the throttle and threw 1t wide open.
knew what that meant with six coaches
full Of people behind US and q bad track,
and the first thing I did was to try to
knock him out with stick Of wood.
missed my throw and he came at me
with heavy iron bar. and went over
the rear Of the tender on to the plat
form Of the car next to us. BY this time
we were fairly jumping over the track,
and l was so ratified that didn't know
what to do.
IN q second though. I gathered my
self and uncoupled the train. from the
locomotive, which was not 50 hard to
do. as we were on a down grade and
the engine was bouncing so that the
coupling pin swung loose at intervals.
Then slapped on the brake there and
went through the train as fast as
could. telling the brakemen and con-
ductor to slow UP. and to do II quick.
Our part OF the train being stopped we
got out to see where the engine had
gone. but We could see nothing. Putting
behind US to stop the next train. the
conductor and | went ahead to find
what had become of the runaway
Two miles away. or two minutes at
the rate he was going. We found the en-
gine in the ditch and the engineer bur
led under 1t. The engine had struck q
soft place and spread the ralls-any-
body knows what that means. and think
what the result would have been to
train load OF passengers going after the
engine at sixty miles an hour 1t almost
made my hair gray to think about It,
and when the people on the train heard
the story. they made up q purse for me
that almost made it curl, and I con-
cluded that it was an Ill wind indeed
which blew no good