The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-01-09

ence there IS between us chaps and
the captain of Channel boat.
used to think OF it more when / was
on the "Sou'-Western," running tho
Continental train to Southampton.
Maybe l had couple Of hundred lives
in tow; but I'll venture to say very
few of them thought of the man who
had them and the train in sole charge,
io- though the fireman's along with
you, the driver is responsible for CIV.
erything, including him. Yet when
the passengers stepped aboard the
Channel boat, if they got q glimpse
Of the captain they'd look at him with
q kind of awe.
Idon't say all this ont Of jealousy,
but I've often thought five had uni
form, with gold lace round our caps
and collars and an engine worked on
our shoulders, folks who were going
long journey would think more of
us, and say: "That's our driver, "
just as you hear them remark "That' s
Our captain"
Still, as Il say, I wouldn't
change. There's charm about
tho ''foot.plate" and a pride
in your engine that only a driver
knows. Why, I've seen men get quite
affectionate over favorite engine,
and almost cry when they were
changed to another. Adventures?
Well, the life's full of adventures,
more or less; not very interesting to
the general public, perhaps, but ex-
citing enough to US. Stop, though. I
can tell you one adventure I had years
ago. which will interest you--about
the most remarkable thing that ever
happened to me, and about Us curious
al affair as you could find in the his
tory of the line, I reckon. 1t was while
I was on the Sou Western, and before
I became regular express driver.
Before you can quite understand it,
I must tell you something about the
line itself. From Clapham Junction
to Hampton Court there are four lines
of rails. two Of them used for up and
down "fast" trains, and the others for
up and down "slow." You have the
same sort of thing on some of the other
lines; the London and Northwestern,
for instance, hes four lines as far as
Roade, beyond Bletchley, only they
are worked differently to the South
western.
The London and North Western run
their up and down fast trains on the
two left hand lines OF rails from Eus-
ton, and the up and down slow on the
two right hand, so that, vixen two
trains are going in the same direc-
ton there is always line of metals
between them. But from Chaplain to
Hampton Court Junction the outer
left hand rail is used for slow, and the
next to it, the inner left hand, for
fast, the outer right and inner right
being used for up.slow and fast re-
spectively. The "up.slow" extends all
the way to Woking, but this has
nothing to do with my story.
Thus, you see, if ono train passes
another going in the same direction.
the trains are close together. Some
times I have known two trains travel
alongside each other at the same rate
for two or three minutes, and more
than once have spoken from my en-
CINE to the driver of another train,
and given or received q bit of 'baccy
when we were going at the rate of
forty or fifty miles an hour. The
Northern system is generally consid-
cred to be the better of the two, but
the Southwestern still sticks to the
other plan.
One day, in the winter Of 1855,
there had been special cheap excur.
sion from Portsmouth to Waterloo;
forget what the OCCASION was; but,
anyhow, l was detailed on duty to take
this train back to Portsmouth. We
were to start at 9.27, and as far as
Hampton Court Junction to run on the
outer. or slow, line. The last train
before US WAS the nine o'clock, so you
see we expected a clear run. We were
not to stop anywhere before reaching
Portsmouth.
The train was q heavy one. rs q
good number of people had taken ad.
vantage OF the excursion, and it
seemed that we should hardly get off
to time. As q matter of fact, howev.
er, we we're only two minutes late in
starting, and were soon bowling away
merrily towards the south.
Tho boat express to Southampton
leaves Waterloo at 9.35, and runs
from there to Basingstoke without o
stop. travelling 10 Hampton Court
junction on the fast line. We had
just passed Ryan's Park when I heard