The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-08-25
THROUGH THE TRAIN
THE ENGINEERS STORY OF HOW HE
WON THE RIGHT OF WAY.

1t Was Case of Cut the other Train In
Two or Get Distinguishing Looked
squalIy For a Moment, but Everything
Ended All Right.
Eyes" said the old engineer reGectively
as he filed his pipe, "these ,interlockin
signals and so on are all veW pretty in
theory, but the theory doesn't always
work out-as, for instance, in the Atlantic
City wreck. For my part, give me the old
fashioned way of stoppin at all grade cross
ms, and there'll be no trouble.
"And that reminds me-" he continued,
returning the borrowed tobacco bag to the
fireman, "of an incident which occurred
one time about 20 years ago, when was
runnin on the Crooked river branch of
this line. At that time the Danville road
crossed us ut a grade near Monterey. There
wasn't no fancy set of switches or sig
nails there in them days, not even watch
man. The rule was that all trains must
come to a dead stop 300 feet short Of the
crossin, and, after maxim sure the way
was clear, to go slowly over. Passenger
trains had right of way over freight and
freight over coal.
well, sometimes we stopped, and some
times we didn't, especially If we were late
or In hurry. 1 was runnin the day ex-
press then, and on account of the cars be-
In painted black, as we'll as our fast sched-
ule, the train was known as the Flyaway
Nigger-somethin like the Empire State
express and so on of today. There was
mean, crusty engineer on the Danville
road, who used to chase himself across In
front of me day after day with his old
mixed train of freight and passenger cars
until 1 got tired out.
"'See here, Bill said 1 to him one
night, you don't want to be so durn
quick on the trigger in goin over that
crossin at Monterey ahead of me- You
know well enough have the right of way
over your blame old train, and it's only
fair you treat me white Bill snorted out
that could go to the devil, and that he d
run his train to suit himself All right
Bill, says I, If that's the way you're 60
In to act, you've got to take the conse-
quences. Coin to report me, s'pose, he
said. Not much, says I; that amt my
style, but the next time you get in my
way, look out, and with that left him,
for was too blame mad to talk.
well, next night l saw Bill with his
| pesky little train orawlin along toward
the crossin just as blowed for Monterey
l had two express, four coaches and Pull
| mana pretty heavy train in them days
but put on steam, pulled the whistle and
hustled out lively. Bill had the start of
me, however, and he made his old teapot
of an engine nearly bust, but he got there
first and went lickety split over the CROSS
In, yankin the tail end of his train right
from the front of my engine. Then saw
him and his fireman maxim faces at me-
A III rio hnx
| will surely come.
Next night he did me up again, and
the night after that he once more bumped
| bis rickety old rollin stock under my nose
| l nearly had fit, but never let on. OF
| course by this time the crews were on to
| the case and one scared brakeman report
ed me to the superintendent. got a note
| to come to his office at once / went, ex-
planned everything and came out with the
| order that If l didn't get the Flyaway
| Niger over that crossin ahead of the Dan
vile train that night might hunt anoth-
or job. Oh he was a dandy, that superin-
tendent.
well, didn't want to lose my Job, and
| was blame anxious to take wheel off
Bill's train, so l didn't feel very much cut
up over the order Get u good head of
steam on, Pete, l said to the fireman; the
Flyaway Niger goes over the crossin first
tonight, or Bill and us go to hell together ,
" Good, said Pete.
| 1--WE got to Monterey two minutes
ahead of time and was swingin along con-
fdentlike, when, bust my hide, if old
Bill didn't loom up in the distance hell
bent for the crossin at a speed which l
could see was goin to land him there Just
about the time we would be usin them
| | hlnyVnl hn
both goin about the same speed say 40
miles an hour. The passengers were dead
game. They was hangin out the windows
yellin and cussin each other as hard as
they could, and l heard afterward that
| two OF them staked their accident insur-
ance tickets on the result.
| ''Bill was doin himself proud He had
| train of one flat, three box and passen
| ger car, the fat bein next the engine. |
saw he was about 80 feet ahead of me- and
l calculated I'd go through him just about
the fat car, when Pete yelled, and saw
him pointin to the box cars. 1t was no
wonder he yelled. On every car was a big
sign, 'Dynamitel'
Gosh, thought l, there's goin to be
some fun sureV and l braced my feet
against the cab. by this time we were
within 20 yards of the crossin, and Bill's
engine was just on the frog. | saw Bill S
face for second, and you bet your life he
wasn't GRIMM at that time.
Then came a bump, u crash, and it S
the honest Gods truth I'm tellin you that
before l knew what was what we were
spinnin along ON the other side of the
crossin without even a bent rod Lookin
back, | saw we had cut right through the
Danville train between the engine and the
Hat ear and that by some strange means
not wheel had left the track. 1t was the
| queerest collision l ever heard Of
"Bill came to my house that night, and
says he, SAM If you amt more careful,
you'll break somethin at Monterey one of
these days
Bill, says I, do you concede me the
right of way from now onY'
I" i do Sam, says he solemnlike
"'All right, BILL says 1, come and
have a drink.
"And that ended it," - Philadelphia
| Times