Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-11-18
runners that the water was about all

to hurry, he jumped down and oiled
finding, TO his great relief, all bearings
stone cold. In spite of their haste, he
left here 1H minutes late, and she be-
haved SO badly that he arrived at the
next station two minutes late. He was
only half way yet, and the prospect
was pretty blue. The next station was
a junction from which three engines
ran on branch out TO some coal
mines. One of them would be there
when he arrived. He telcgraphed
ahead TO have her ready for him, his
engine being disabled. His conductor
and old friend, Phil Howard, as well
as every man on the train, knew that
Jake's record was in danger at last.
AS there was seldom any baggage al
W, and none TO put off this trip,
Howard told the baggagemaster to
jump down and uncouple the engine the
moment she stopped, saying he would
take on any baggage that might be
there, in order 10 save time.
The baggagemaster uncoupled the
air hose, but, before he could pull the
pin, Howard called TO him: "Neyer
mind that now, Jim; come up, here's
a funeral TO CO."
While the train crew were busy
loading the casket the station agent
handed Jake a message which read:
"No engine here. Have forwarded your
message to Lelands."
Lelands had been the end of The d.
vision before modern methods com
PEELED the company to lengtheni; out to
200 miles. There was big roundhouse
there, and plenty of engines. The
deferential care with which casket
must be handled caused them to leave
W three full minutes late-the
limit. Neither Jake nor Howard knew
that the baggagemaster had uncoupled
the air hose, and in the hustle at the
station that worthy had failed to OBJ
serve that no change of engines had
been made. So Jake pulled out with
no brakes on the train, and determined
to lose no more time il it was humanity
possible to avoid it.
The roundhouse foreman at Lelands
received an order to have an engine
ready TO take train 10 on its arrival.
She was due in rs minutes, and, won
dering what could have happened to
"Old Reliable" as Jake was popularly
called, he got his whole force on the
jump. Within five minutes of 10's ar
irving time he had an engine,
coaled, waite ;ed, and with her safety
valve sinmering at 140 pounds to the
square inch, standing on the main
track in charge of a hostler, just beyond
the station. 1t was a mighty good job,
we'll and quickly done.
After leaving W, the "ST" be-
haved little better; she had thrown
out much of the offending matter, and
would stand pushing bit; but at her
best she had never made up quite a
minute between there and Lelands-
and she was far from being at her best
now.
When he reached the summit of the
hill from which he could look down
into Lelands, mile away, he knew
he would arrive there only 2h min
utes late-technically on time. He
knew to an inch how far be could use
steam, and 1t was with a sigh OF relief
that he shut her off and dropped the
lever down. He blew for the station,
glanced curiously at the airbrake
gauge-which showed the proper
pressure-and leaned YEARLY out the
window with his hand on the brake
valve.
As the train rolled rapidly down the
grade he applied the brake-gently
to slow it up. He felt at once that it
had no hold. He glanced in alarm at
the gauge, and turned the valve all the
way around. The truth flashed over
him with paralyzing chill. He had NO
brakel
He set his teeth grimly, and the gray
eyes flashed with determination MS he
swung his great weight on the reverse
lever and horsed her over into the
back motion. There was n great big
chance that his time had come. AS he
reached for the whistle cord TO blow
| a call for brakes-more for the infor.
nation OF the man on the engine ahead
than from any faith in the hand brakes
he told his fireman to jump.
That single sharp blast of the whistle
sent chill to the heart of every rail
road man who heard II. Jake was
coming in at the rate of 80 miles an
hour, and no brake!
The hostler leaped from the extra
engine and ran half way across the
yard. The telegraph operator showed
blanched face at his window, and
| tried to think whether he had made O
mistake.
The brakeman feared to venture out
on the car platforms to set the brakes
Phil Howard, the veteran railroader
understood his friends wild appeal for
help. Regardless Of probable conse
| HuehttSi Ht JhhipSu " IL VI dhC NhSSi
But the onward rush of ten heavy Pull
mans is not to be checked by single
hand brake.
With a crash and a roar "87" ran hei
nose under the other engines tender;
she threw it-a crumpled and battered
can in appearance-clear over its owr
boiler. The spare engine shot ahead
but again 49," her drivers sliding, was
'driven into her like ram. This time
Jake's engine had her forward truck
derailed, and, as she plowed into the
ties, the force from behind her sluet
her around, and turned her over on tor
Of him.
The radiant light has gone from the
eyes Of the widow and her orphans
but it Is one of the valued tradition.
of the road to this day that Jak,
Woodford was the only man who never