The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-29
THE PLUNGE OF
~ THE ARCTURUS.

BY MRS. ANNIE A. PRESTON.

'lI-AINl4L-o SAT At lllC IOullu ldDlc, I'LL
Y der the hanging lamp, reading the
evening paper aloud. The family were
listening in the half-indifferent way in
which all-even the most sympathetic
are obliged to regard the daily news,
which is largely made up of others
woes, of whom we have no personal
knowledge.
For variety, here is a railroad COLI
,sion," said the reader, after going
through a long list of coasting acct
dents. and he proceeded to read an
item, which ended with John Swift, the
engineer of the special, reversed his
engine, whistled for brakes, and saying
10 his fireman: Look out for yourself,
David!' jumped from the locomotive;
but his feet caught in the fireman's
shovel-which had been dropped in the
eXcitement-and the poor fellow, who
was one of the oldest and best engineers
on the road, was thrown beneath the
slowing wheels and quickly mangled TO
death. Had he remained Upon the en-
CINE. he would have come u unhurt.'"
when did it happen?" quickly spoke
up Horace Mason, a near neighbor, who
had dropped mas he often did-for an
hour in the evening.
He sat in an easy chair, balancing a
stout crutch-which stood him in stead
of his right leg-across the arm, and
now, without waiting for an answer to
his question, went on, with a deep sigh:
Poor John Swift! So he has gone
in that way at last. He has always been
called reckless, but luck has been with
him until now; while /, who was al
ways far more cautious, have been fire.
uuently in trouble. and after having
peer jammed, bruised and pinched, I'M
til it came to be said on the road that
/ had as many lives as a cat, l have lost
q leg and come off barely with my life.
John Swift and 1 began firing on
the Noneticut River road, on the very
same breezy March day, 25 years ago.
"He was promoted to be an engineer
long before l was, but 1 was not jealous
of his good luck, and l will tell you how
it happened.
"'When we had each been throwing
wood about two years, there was a fear
full freshet on the Noneticut river, after
which our road was named, and with
which it ran parallel for 40 miles or
more.
ut was a good road, well managed by
conscientious officers, who treated their
employees as if they were men and
brothers, and kept their stock away up
above par, by making their road as
hearty perfect in every way as a rail
road can be made.
1.-The Noneticut river fairly outdid it
self in the wa of a freshet that year.
There was a tremendous amount of
snow at the north, and when, after 4
long rain, the ice broke up and went out,
1t made a block at the Narrows, above
the OXbow falls, and in two hours time
the water had spread out over the great
meadow on one side, and had sub
merged ten rods of our track on the
other, midway between Nosuch and
North Nosuch stations, taking every
body by surprise, for the oldest inhab-
itants even had never before known
the placid, steady Noneticut to attempt
going beyond its prescribed bonds.
"'Late that afternoon the freight that
I was firing was standing on a siding
at North Nosuch station, waiting for
the express to pass us, upon whose loco
motiye-the Arcturus-Johnuy Swift
was fireman.
There was a high wind, the rain was
pouring in torrents, the slush was ankle
deep, and as darkness settled down
upon us there was promise of the worst
kind of a night for railroading-or any
thing else. for that matter-that could
take a person out of doors.
Just as the express came vanishing
into the North Nosuch station, little old
Jimmie Hughes. a droll Irishman, who
lived in a small shanty in the center of
as good a 'pertatee-patch' as there was
on the river road, came hurrying and
wheeling into the passenger station.
Every hand OF the FoadknewJimmy,