The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-21
ler up. and we drifted down the mountain

her up, and we drifted down the mountain
Ike the wind.
when we started for Sidell we had
about half a mile the best of those runa-
way coal cars, and l don't believe they
gained an inch on us. l was on the point
of crying out a couple OF times for the
engineer to reverse the lever and put on
the air brakes so we could jump, as | was
hanging on TO the side of the engineer ;
cab for dear life, because at every curve
we struck l thought we would leave the
rails, but as he and his fireman stuck
gamely to their post without a culver
knew il would never do for me to weaken
first
I'VE finally reached that siding.
thought it was about a month from the
time we had received the warning, and in
about twenty-five minutes the three cars
dashed by with rush, and were caught
as they stalled on a heavy up grade near
the base of the mountain. There were a
half dozen attaches of the road in the rear
car during that run, and l must say, with
the exception of a little paleness, they
went through the ordeal like game men"
THE nerve displayed by that engineer is
met every day in railroad life" chimed in
gray-haired veteran; but speak
ing of special trains, l ran across
nervy display-this time by a fireman.
About two years ago our division received
a new locomotive of very peculiar pat
tern, being exceedingly large and equipped
with many new patents whereby great
speed was to be attained.
Il was superintendent of the road then
and determined to take the engine out my
self on a special schedule and ascertain
If the new IDEAS were practical. l Sc
lected a first-class engineer and fireman to
accompany me. The latter particularly 1
want to call attention to, as he plays a
six feet tall and built in proportion, and
as he stood in the glare of the open fire
box, presented a picture worthy of the
finest artist.
1.-THE locomotive proved to be all the
builders claimed for her, and ran the re-
cord up to sixty miles an hour, which
is quite a speed for our road, being pos
| sessed of many sharp curves and grades.
When the engine was going her best and
had just rounded a sharp curve ! noticed
directly ahead little girl half way across
a single-track bridge that spanned quite
a body of water.
There was no room for the child and
engine to pass on the structure and in
despair l pulled the whistle, and tried, al
though I knew it was a hopeless task, to
stop the locomotive. AS the shrill shrek
of the whistle reached the little girls ears
she turned, and seeing the engine bearing
down on her, ran ahead a few steps, and
then, realizing the impossibility of reach
ing the other side before the engine would
be upon her, she sprang to the side of the
bridge, and with scream, jumped into
the deep water twenty feet below
my reversing the engine startled the
half dozen railroad men, Che single coach
| was haqS s<%ss9SAthey at once rushed out
on the fF@tRn JsBtform to ascertain the
cauIMxzktsEesSo witness an act worthy of
LAS the little girls form sank beneath
the dark water another figure went whirl-
ing through the air. 1t was that big fire.
man of mine. He had seen the child sim
ultaneously with me, and, acting instantly,
had jumped down on the step between the
engine and tender, and as the girl sprang
into the water he leaped after her. Owing
to the velocity of the train his body whiTl-
ed around ike a ball before striking the
water The stream had become quite swol-
len by recent rains and the current was
swift. The fireman had hardly disappear
ed under the water than the child was
| seen several yards in front of the place
where he struck, but he quickly came to
the surface and struck out manfully after
her. The little thing went under
! second time, but as she rose
my fireman was at her side,
and, grasping her firmly with one
arm, he turned. and after a hard struggle,
managed to reach the shore, almost ex-
hausted.
while the struggles in the water were
going on 1 was fighting that pesky en-
CINE, and finally brought 1t to a stand
still a short distance from the end of the
! bridge We Immediately deserted that spe-
cial and all of US rushed down to the
bank of the river and yelled encourage
ment to the brave fellow. AS he came out,
putting like the air-brake on a locomotive,
we gave him three cheers and a tiger, but
he only replied to it with the remark:
Christopher Columbus, that water S
cold'
| "Of course we made up nice little purse
| but / wasn't through with him. sized him
! up this way: A man with his nerve and
| self possession was out of place shovel
! ling coal into a locomotive and belonged
upon the seat allotted to engineers, and
the next pay roll he signed was as one of
| the knights Of the throttle"