The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1896-12-23
a RuNAw4Y TRAIN.
Luckily II Had Clear Track and = Cool
Headed Engineer.

A railroad official, speaking OF
some of his experiences, said:
al lived many years agoin small
Massachusetts, city and managed a
road where every employee, from
tho section mon up, was personally
known to me, and railroading was
moro of pleasure than it is here,
where tho roads are SO vast and long
that one hardly knows the members
of his own Office staff, My Office
windows, remomber, looked out
directly upon tho principal business
street of the place and tho entrance
to tho Union depot, tho street Cross
ing the tracks at rightangles not 20
foot from the great arohed station
entrance. Every hour or two New
York and Boston express trains wore
arriving and departing, and it was
always an interesting sight the day
before Thanksgiving, when every
train was running in two or three
sections, and each one drawn by two
locomotives, loaded down with pas
sengers anxious to got to tho old
farm in time for tho Thanksgiving
dinner.
"Ono snowy, clustering day sat
waiting to SEQ tho 1925 train pull
in Eom Boston, for somehow
kind of smolled danger, as u railroad
man often does. 1 knew the train
was n heavy ono, tho rails slippery
and that beforo it struck tho GROSS.
ing it came down heavy grade four
miles long. Out at the other end of
the depot was n great long bridge
carrying tho train off to tho west,
and also tho tracks branching south
to Now York. On both these tracks
stood hugo locomotives blowing off
steam and seemingly in haste to
couple on to tho coming train, which
was destined for both the south and
west, and hurry it off to its dostina-
ton. We'll, to mako long story
short, that train got tho best of the
engineer that day, owing to some
defect in tho airbrakos, and there
was ono of tho most hair raising
train runaways / guess l will over
witness. A milo up tho grade /
heard old Seth Mayor, the onginoor,
making old No. 104 whistle for
brakes IN way that mado mo turn
cold. Almost at tho Same time tho
train camo tearing down over the
street crossing and into tho depot,
going co miles an hour, and 10.
mcmber to this day and always will
how cool Mayor looked as no dash
cd by, blowing his whistle for dear
life as q warning to give him clear
track.
THAT they would oven get those
engines ut tho other end of tho sta
ton out of tho way thought was
M impossibility, but they did. There
were cool mon about that place that
day, and No. 1915 great Crawford
whistle bad given tho warning. The
switches wero hastily set straight
on to the bridge, and away dashed
tho waiting engine i'll race to got
out of tho way of tho runaway train.
1t was close shave, and it unncrv
ed mo for week, bur luck saved
tho day.
"That runaway ran four miles be-
foro it stopped, and tho engineer
with tho light ongino tearing along
ahead of it was beginning to wonder
if tho tracks were cloar way out to
Buffalo, whom tho brakes worked
and tho runaway was brought to n
stop. For years have boon wondor.
ing how that train over dashed down
that grade and through tho crowded
depot, following tho switches in and
out, without q most frightful smash
up.
"Old Seth Mayor, when no stop
ped down from tho cab nftor back
ing back, regarded it as hugo joke,
but it scared everybody olso within
q milo of tho station out of weeks
growth. "-Chicago Chronicle.