Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-07-27
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE,
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
On Locomotive With a Crazy En-
gineer-A Brave Army Omcer-
Nalorous Surgeons.

gineer-A Brave Army Officer
VaIorous Surgeons.
q T was twenty-five years ago, {"
an old engineer said to o
Washington Star represen-
tative, "and l was fireman
on the road in New York State.
The engineer I fired for was, or rather
had been, one of the best on the road.
but he had been turned over and
steamed under locomotive boiler in
wreck, and after that he was given a
less important train. Not so much
because he was any the less good rs an
engineer, but because officials have an
idea that it takes mans nerve away
when II serious accident happens to
him. We had run of about seventy
five miles each way, and on Sundays
in summer we carried excursions.
1--WE had never had any trouble,
but for month before the experience
| am telling my engineer had been In
a bad temper and acted as ugly as the
mischief. | reported the matter to
the division superintendent and he
told me to stick it out for month or
so longer, as they proposed to release
the old man and put him at work in
the shops. Two Sundays after that
we were returning IN the evening
about o'clock behind time, owing to
delays occasioned by washouts, caus.
ing us to run slow and cautious. We
had twenty miles to go, and 1t was
over the worst part of the road, and
was watching out of the cab, when all
Mt once the engineer gave shout and
made grab at me- HIS eyes were
blazing, and / could see in O second
that he was either drunk or crazy.
GLOW | got away from him l don't
know, for he did his best to throw me
OIL the cab, but / got away and
climbed up on the wood piled up
on the tender. He didn't follow, but
turned at once to the throttle and
threw it wide open. 1 knew what
that meant with six coaches full of
people behind us and bad track, and
the first thing 1 did was to try to
knock him out with stick of wood.
1 missed my throw and he came after
me with heavy iron bar, and I went
over the rear of the tender on to the
platform of the car next to US. By
this time we were fairly jumping over
the track, and | was SO ratified that [
didn't know what to do.
"ln q second, though, J gathered
myself and uncoupled the train from
the locomotive, which was not SO hard
to do, as we were on down grade and
the engine was bouncing SO that the
coupling pin swung loose at intervals
Then slapped on the break there and
went through the train as fast as |
could, telling brakemen and conductor
to slow up and do it quick. Our part
of the train being stopped we got out
to see where the engine had gone, but
we could see nothing. Putting man
with light on the track mile behind
us to stop the next train, the conduc-
tor 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
engine i'll the ditch and the engineer
buried under it. The engine had
struck soft place and spread the
i'ho any pouy huoNb Mudt tnab means
and think what the result would
have been to train load of passengers
going after that engine at sixty miles
an hour. 1t almost made my hair gray
to think about 1t, and when the peo-
pie on the train heard the story they
made up purse for me that almost
made it curl, and / concluded it was
an i'll wind indeed which blew no
good"