The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-05
CLOSE CALLS.

No one more fully understands the true
definition of a ''close CALI than the aver
age railroad engineer. II he be still EN-
ployed as throttle puller he has expert
enced one or perhaps two "calls. " but
never three and has listened to many tales
of the close calls Of others In the same line
OF business. A railroad engineer has the
hardihood To face two 'calls, but no
knows the third one means death. A re-
porter was permitted recently 10 look over
a series of books kept by friend In the
employ OF large railway corporation
whose main offices are in Washington
wherein history of every accident is
minutely recorded. Tho histories run
back to the time of single tracks and the
crudest railroad devices. The stories of
thousands of accidents are told therein,
but after careful perusal not case was
discovered wherein an engineer had ex-
perienced his third accident and lived.
The railroad engineer registers In hlS
mind the score against his existonce,
and strange. indeed, is the case II the
record is increased against him through
carelessness.
This theme Is a welcome one TO major
ity Of engineers, and they love TO tell OF
the many cases in which their belief has
been substartiated by TACT. The case OF
Engineer Jack Connor Is an interesting
one, and will Illustrate how strongly this
idea of surviving TIVE calls Is grated on
the mind OF the everyday engineer HIS
engine was hauling gondola car, on
which was loaded some 300 pounds OF
dynamite, over the old Richmond and
Danville ROAD down in Virginia. About
twenty Italian workmen Were also on the
car A spark from the engine, through
gross carelessness on the part OF the hand-
lers of the explosive ignited the mass OF
NM "A
dozen Italians were blown To atoms and the
car and engine almost demolished.
In the fraction of "A second that inter
ycned between the discovery of the ignit
ing spark on the slight covering over the
dynamite and the terrific explosion that
followed Jack Conner threw himself be-
hind the firs box of his engine. When
found h. was completely buried under the
coal and debris of engine and car. Many
bones were broken and he presented
ghastly sight, but his friends aud phy-
sicians were cheered nightly when, upon
regaining consciousness, he said In
gasping voice:
."Ill come around all right. This is
my first call. I've got one more before
saying good-by.
Conner ultimately got we'll, contrary
To the physicians diagnosis OF his wounds
although il was close call, and he Is
now skimming over the rails as of yCre.
keeping a sharp lookout for his second
warning.
BY way Of contrast, the case of Dick
Littlewood, an engineer, some years back,
running between Washington and Rich.
mond, Is cited as illustrating effects"
on different persons. One dark night,
with the rain coming down In torrents, ms
Dicks engine was rounding curve about
sixteen miles north of Richmond, 10
jumped the track, and he was terribly
hurt IN The wreck. He was taken 10 RicT-
mond. and IL was a couple OF months be-
fore he was able to work again. Thea
he was given light work about the Rich
mond yards or daylight runs until be was
thought to be fully recovered, About
six months after the wreck in which no
received his injuries he began taking reg
ular night runs and appeared to be as
good an engineer as he ever was.
One night it happened that he was put
on the same train that he was on when
hurt. Ii was noticed that he was little
nervous, but no attention was paid 70
this. The night turned out TO DO the
same kind OF one rs that on whi-h he
had gotten hurt more than eight months
before 1t was dark and dismal and
rainy.
AS the train reached the point whore
tho accident occurred the fireman noticed
dick slack up his engine, and at the
same tire he began TO get ralcr and
where he had been ditcheu before Littlcfleld
uttered shrek and fell over i'm n faint.
The trial had teen too much for him
He was taken to RichincDd aud WIS
again taken off his engine, this time for
good, OF course and YVES for coufl 10 Il
years Inter doing switch work In the
yards. AS an engineer his first "call''
had ruined him for life, aud he often re-
marked TO his fellow-engineers that no
an ount of money could hire him TO steer
an engine around that curve again artor
dark, and he was known to bo a man Of
great nerve too.
Old Jerry Simpson running on tho
Southern road, between Washington and
Richmond, never becomes tired OF telling
how lie received his first 'calI d" ard tho
lucky way he pulled through II. It. was
back in the 10s, when work on the rnil-
roads all over the country was extremely
nat and thousands Of men were out OF
work.
Il had been an engineer about three
years, said Jerry, telling his story to
a correspondent dow. at the round
house on Virginia avenue, land. Of
course was one Of the first men laid off.
/ was then working for the Ponnsyivsnia
road, running out of PHILADELPHIA west
ward. ! went around % thl different
foa.Is asking for work, and through fire.
quent visits TO the Baldwin works mad @
man of the locomotive uepartn Pnt
Whenever new engine ~ shipped Ia n
Western read "a reliable man il scnt on tue
new locomotive to protect h. from tramps
and other ,andals. Ii happoned thnt one
OF these engines. ordered Tor the Denver
and Rio Grande road, had Just becn com
pleted, ara the foreman put Ia u good
WORD for Inc, especially as none of the
baldwin people banker afior this Job.
You can gamble on IT, jumped at the
cnance.
Two days after belng offered the posi-
ton, the now engine and she was "a
beauty. was shifted into the middle of tLo
fast Western freight. and we began our
Western journey We went over tho phIla-
elphia and middle divisions all right. but
tt was on the Pittsburg division that my
first cali came off. thi- division takes
IN the Allegheny mountaiLs s, anu the tough
places on 10 almost equal those on tho
Rocky mountains.
The engineer that handled the throttle
on the engine ahead was Billy Duncan.
aud knew him well, hoth personally a"d
through reputation. He was "a fclr! S.
runner, and would never Jump from ..a
er gine, no matter how Il lse a place he got
tt4s. lt.s.