The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-01-21

VETERAN ENGINEERS.
ssUncIe Jake" Hicks and tfBill''
Swan, of the Southern.


Swan, of the Southern.
The familiar faces of "Jake" Hick
and "Bill" Swan, the veteran locomo
tive engineers, who have hauled daily
the passenger trains for the pas1
thirty years, on the North Caroline
road, between Greensboro and Colds
boro, are no longer seen by the c1tt
Zans along the line Of that division oi
the Southern.
Both men have rounded up theiI
three score years and the laws ot
nature demand and the authorities
that rule the Southern Railway have
decreed that they give place to Young
er heads and stronger arms.
MIR. Hicks has been given and is now
pulling the throttle on the short line
between Winston and Mocksville, e,
| while his friend Mr.. Swan is filing a
similar position on the short division
between Chapel Hill and University
1 station
| Uncle Jake" as Mr.. Hicks is
| familiarly called by railroad men,
| pulled the first train over the road be-
| tween Winston and Greensboro and
| there are many citizens in the Twin
| City who have pleasant recOllections
| of the man who excited the curiostfes
OF number of people when Winston.
Salem was first put In railroad con:
| nection with the outside world.
| "Uncle Jake" was interviewed by
| the Argus just before he left Colds
boro for his present run. In reply to
| question asking him how he liked
| the change made by the Southern, he
| said i:
1T suits me very well. am now
| getting old and the long runs / had
been making daily for the last thirty
years was getting to be too much for
| me. OF course l felt deep regret at
| giving up my place because had been
on the line so long and felt more at
home there than anywhere else.
| have been asked by several people If [
co uld be contented off the road
have no desire to ever pull another
| throttle after leaving my old run and
il I was able to live without it l
would never mount a cab again"
He says he is now IA years old. He
went to work for the North Carolina
Railroad in 1857 and during the 80
years service was only off the road
| four months, and that was few years
ago when the regulations required
that every engineer should read train
orders and sign his name thereto. AS
he could do neither he had to quit
work and learn to read and write. Up
| to that time he could only tell the de-
nomination of wood check by the
color 1t bore. In all the years he had
hauled the passenger trains he never
put wheel on the ground and never
disobeyed train order.
He was taught to read and write by
| his good wife and as soon as he became
qualified to fill the requirements his
old run was returned to him.
When the Yankees invaded the
town of Burlington Mr.. Hicks was
| delegated to guard the company's
valuable property at that place and
now boasts of holding conferences
| with such men as Gen. johnson, Gen.
Wade Hampton and others, as one of
his fondest recollectioDs,
"Uncle Jake" has three children
| two sons and one daughter. rhe
good engineers and hold 1rst-class
positions. The daughter married a
railroad engineer and he too has a
good job which proves that he is q
| thorough "throttle puller."
Greensboro is the home of the
| father and one of the sons, but il the
| former continues to run the Mocks-
vile vestibule he will doubtless
become a citizen Of the same town
sides-when he Is at home.
Mr.. Swan, "Uncle Jake's" old part
ner, is said to be quiet, unostenta-
tious, unassuming gentlemen, Of
moderate habits, and has for the
greater part of the time made regular
trips over the North Carolina road
every day for the past 35 years.
1t Is custom on some roads to
retire from service on full pay old
InI Il
faithful service. The officials of the
Southern Railway could not find a
more worthy pair on which to exer-
else such philanthropic spirit than
| the veteran locomotive engineers
named above.
The lot that befalls the average
engineer is hard one at best. His
| pathway Is uncertain. He places his
life In jeopardy every trip he makes.
While passengers are taking their
ease on velvet cushions and watching
with pleasure the picturesque land
| scapes as they are brought to view, or
sleeping In palatial Pullmans., the
brain and nerve of the engineer at
the throttle are undergoing the heav-
| lest strain and deep anxiety weighs
on his soul. This is the case at night
| through the darkness at a rate of so
or go miles an hour at time when
| deep treStleS are uncertain Is risk
that not many of US care to take.
| This Is what these aged engineers
have done times almost without num-
Der and this willingness to sacrifice
their lives In the service of the public
is the cause of the deeprOoted venera-
tion in the hearts of their many ac-
| quaintances. Their lives have been
| devoted and almost spent In the
cause they espoused, and now as the
shadows are lengthening for them the
world should dea. very. gently with
| them. Soon the Great Train Dis
patcher will send His orders by the
white-winged messenger to take them
to the golden roads in the Celestial
| City.
/ State C0uueiI .Jr n II A. M