The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-10
CRAWLED INTO THE FIREBOX.
That was How the Engineer was Saved
 in Collision.

That was How the Engineer was Saved in a Collision.
 Old Jerry Simpson, running on southern road, between Washington and Richmond, never becomes tired of l telling how he received his first "cail' and the lucky way he pulled through it. It was back in the seventies, when work on the railroads all over the country ! was extremely flat and thousands of men were out of work.
 T had been an engineer about three years" said Jerry, telling his story down at the round-house, and, of course, was one of the first men laid off. l was then working for the Pennsylva- mia road, running out of Philadelphia westward. I went around to the differ ent roads, asking for work, and through | frequent visits to the Baldwin works had become quite well acquainted with | the foreman of the locomotive depart ment
 Whenever a new engine is shipped to a western road a reliable man is sent on 1 the new locomotive to protect 1t from tramps and other vandals. It happened that one of these engines, ordered for the Denver and Rio Grande road. had just been completed, and the foreman put in a good word for me, especially as none of the Baldwin people handered af- | ter this job. You can gamble on it I 1 jumped at the chance.
 | Two days after being offered the po- l sition the new engine-and she was a beauty-was shifted into the middle of the fast western freight, and we began our western journey We went over the Philadelphia and middle divisions all right, but it was on the Pittsburg di- vision that my first call came off. This division takes in the Allegheny Mountains, and the tough places on it almost equal those on the Rocky Moun- | tains.
 "The engineer that handled the throt- | tie on the engine ahead was Billy Dun- can, and l knew him well, both person. | ally and through reputation. He was a 1 fearless runner, and would never jump from an engine, no matter how close a place he got into. Duncan invited me to ride with him on the engine, but I | declined, as I had charge of that Rio | Grande engine, and wanted to see her | landed safely at her destination.
 ''So I went back to my charge just a minute before we passed out of the At toona yards, and in a few minutes had made myself comfortable with couple of blankets had brought along.
 The night was a dismal one, being foggy, with just enough rain to make 1t uncomfortable. kept awake for about an hour, and then concluded to take a l little snooze.
 l About the time I got comfortably | fixed and was dozing with my eyes half shut I was startled by loud, long, l piercing call for brakes from the engi- neer I knew Bill Duncan would never have let out such blast as that unless in the presence of great danger. Quick ly throwing off the blankets that cov- cred me, I jumped up and peered out through the darkness, We were going down the grade on the west side of Horseshoe curve, and cutting the foggy mist at the rate of forty miles an hour.
 About fifty yards ahead of Bill's en- zine were the red lights of caboose, and then I knew the fagman had not come back far enough to stop us on the wet rails. A run-in was sure. There was not much chance for me to jump, as it was internally dark, and I knew there was high cliff close to the track on one side that would hurl me back under the wheels, and a precipice on the other steep enough to break every bone in my body if I once started to roll down its steep sides.
 About that time I thought of pray
 ing and was on the point of dropping to my knees and praying to be forgiven for my past sins when luckily thought of the firebox of the new engine I had in charge, and as quick as thought I threw open the door and erawled in. l had just landed on my knees on the grate bars when there came an awful crash, such as I never heard in my life before, and I felt my engine going first up and then down, and the sickening sensations of those few seconds were paralizing. I was tumbled about pret- ty roughly and had the skin knocked off my legs and my head cut, but noth- ing could crush me, for I was in an iron safe that was well built, although 1t was never intended for a fe-preserver I thought once, however, that it was all up with me. for felt the boiler collaps- ing under the weight of the loaded cars that were piling up on top of it.
 After a while everything was still and, knowing that the worst was over unless the wreckage took fire and roast ed me alive, l made an effort to crawl out, but could not do so, as car trucks and frames were piled above the wreck thought it was month until the
 wrecking crew came, and then I began to cry out like crazy man and implore
 help. The wreckers must have thought I was pinned down by the engine, with
 my legs crushed, for they gave all theil attention to me, and after hard work got the trucks cleared away. It was some time before they got me out, and
 beyond the bruises already mentioned
 was as sound as before the wreck.
 Poor old Billy, the engineer, kept UT
 his reputation to the last by refusing tC jump, and was smashed into jelly undel
 his engine, as were also his fireman and
 two tramps riding in a box-ear next my
 engine. That was my first call and il
 was q close one, but the firebox saved