The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-10-28
TRIES THE NERVES.
AN OLD FIREMAN ON THE EFFECT
OF A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.
The Thoughts That Flash Through the
EnSineInan's Brain just Before n Col
lision oocurs-A Smash Up Makes Man
Scsry Ever Thereafter.

EncineInan's Brain just Before n Col
Ission occurs-A Smash Up Makes = Man
Scsry Ever Thereafter.
There is something attractive about
Railroad life TO the man who once en-
ters il. The railroad companies rarely
give up reliable, faithful mar. He
may become manned and unfit for the
most remunerative positions and be
forced TO accept some humber place
with a smaller salary attacked TO 1t,
but it is an unwritten law with most of
the great railroad companies that the
man who is injured in their service
shall be placed in some position where
be may obtain his livelihood.
Thus II may happen that when you
fall in conversation with the man who
occupies a humble switchhouse or a
flagman's shanty you are talking with
one who has had his share of excitement
and been through experiences that
would make the hair of the average man
stand upon end. a reporter met a
switchman the other day the pathOs of
whose life was expressed in the wooden
leg which he used, aud as the Empire
dashed by he looked up and said:
'Yes, like railroading. 1 have been
in the business all my life and expect to
spend the rest Of my days over the rails,
but / am quite content TO remain here
in nv little cottage and tend TO my flag
ging rather than have the position of
the man who holds the throttle on that
big engine which just whizzed by here.
You may think il a snap to sit there
and ride over the country at the rate Of
a mile a minute, but tell you the man
carries a load of responsibility ON his
shoulders which ! would not want On
mine and which the average man knows
very little about / know something of
IL, for ] was fireman some years ago on
one Of the fast engines and lost my leg
in an accident between here and Al
bany. But if l had come ont Of that ac-
cident as sound as you are | never
should have been able TO hold my nerve
for any more fast trips. That finished
me for that work. -
Then if man has been hurt in 4
railroad accident it makes him scary
Of that kind of work, does it?' asked
the reporter.
"You bet it does" answered the
switchman with emphasis, ''and don
let any one fool you that it doesn't. The
man who was running that engine the
day was hurt escaped with hardly a
scratch, but he never could keep his
time up the way he did before that and
finally was put on a freight engine,
where the running was great deal
slower.
Il shall never forget the way he look
ed the afternoon the smash up occurred.
Just before the crash came looked at
him. We were rounding a curve down
by Schenectady. His long gray hair
was flowing IN the breeze, his face was
set and his eyes fixed ON the track
ahead.
''All at once he jumped to his feet
and reversed the lever and exclaimed in
a startled tone, Ny God, we are
caughtP 1t was probably not more than
half a minute after when / was lying
beneath the engine with my leg crush
ed, utterly unconscious of the fact that
a great wreck had occurred, but every
movement and occurrence of that half
minute is as vividly impressed upon my
mind as If it had taken weeks of time
10 impress 1t there.
''As he spoke 1 looked through the
cab window ahead of rs, and there.
within 20 rods, was freight engine
coming straight at Us, and there was no
possible chance to escape a crash. The
engineer was doing his duty. 1 knew
that. Ee was reversing the lever. apply
ing the brakes and doing his best to
avert what he knew was inevitable, bat
had nothing to do. and il seemed as if
everything in my life was before me IN
those few seconds. l felt absolutely sure
seem, the thought did not seem horrible
10 me. a whole lot of the slang say
ings, such as, You are learning to fire
here in this world so as to be prepared
for the next, and You won't mind a
hot job over there, and a number of
those stale things which a fireman has
to take, came into my head, and even
in that awful position it occurred TO me
IN humorous sort of way that | had
made a good start here below, or here
above, as might say. The next mo-
ment l was thinking of my wife and
children-yes. and Of mother, too, who
had been dead number Of years A
man always thinks Of his mother at such
a time. But l don't think had a par
ticle of fear Of death The last thing
that was on my mind was the question,
Who was 10 blame for the accident:
And that is the last remember.
when l came TO my senses, / was
in hospital and was minUs a leg.
Since then kave been constantly en-
ployed one way and a0C'hcr by the rail-
road company, -. ! never see one Of
the fast trains 20 - without thinking
of that wreck. The -ineer miraculous
ly escaped with s. = " bruis5, but il
finished him acr t.--s kind Of work He
was always seeing C-..----,s ahead Of him
after that, and have heard that more
than once he Eas slowed Up his train in
order not TO collide with an imaginary
engine. which have 30 GOabt was rs
real 10 him Is il was On the afternoon
Jbe wreck speak Of occurred. As / said
before, be was transferred to a freight
engine, bat even there he was timid
and finally left the road altogether.
'NoO can pat Il down rs pretty
sure tking that when an engineer has
been II ~ Sccident once he Is minus
good share OF the nerve which it takes |
10 make his runs on tine = the tick,
and ii lie isn't or time T.. - ~ to 90
sooner or later. "-Roci4Ls.sr Democrat
an3 Chronicle.
An Aip2.asstie-i ESye-siscI2cnt.