Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-04-19
A VERY LUCKY HOBO,
The Filler Wa Fast, and His Life Was
Saved.

Inc Fller was Fast, and His Life Wa
Saved.
Mr.. Griffitts of the Burlington has
little piece OF recent history which he 70
lates with considerable feeling. The Bur
lington reinstated the swift Worlds fail
tier No. | a few days ago, and the question
of the speed she would be able to main
tain was uppermost in the minds of thu
railroad people. A nan who was aware
of the keen interest Mr.. Griffitts had taker
in the initial trip met the railroad person.
age a few days after the resumption.
"Well,' he said in greeting, "did she &C
fast, keep up to her card timer
keep up?" witheringly. II should say
SO. You know there's a stretch of about
20 miles from Plattsmouth into Omaha
after we cross the bridge into Nebraskaf
Well, there was a tramp waiting at the
end of the bridge on the Nebraska side
hoping to ride from there into Omaha on
the platform of the baggage ear. But he
made a miscalculation. There are no plat
forms on those baggage cars. They come
out flush like a boxc car. In the darkness
the tramp didn't notice this and by the
time he had got to the jumping off place
the train was going at its regular gait or
q shade faster.
"The engineer, realizing that this was
the first run Of the train and desiring to
make a graceful finish and a good record,
had pulled her out just a little. She got
to going, and going good. She was doing
her incest and g%racefulest when the tramp
jumped.
"Now, what do you think happenedp
That the hobo was mixed up for five miles
along the roadbed? No, sir. Not a bit.
Wasn't hurt at all. You've seen an anna
teur magician put a dollar coin on the fiat
palm Of his hand and move tho open hand
SO swiftly through the air that the coin
didn't drop off, haven't you, and the ma
gician pretended that it wasn't there just
because it didn't drop? Well, sir, that was
what happened to that tramp. He was
like the coin against the flat palm. He
rested against the blank front end of that
baggage car like a fly Oh a window pane.
There wasn't anything below for him to
stand on or anything above for him to
hang to. He was just held there, as l say,
by that force which came from the fast
forward motion of the train. Below him
there were space and car wheels. 1t was a
pretty ticklish position, I want to tell you.
No wonder the fellow roared and shouted
and said as many pious things as he knew
how, and said them very loud. OF course
he understood that when the train began
to slow up for the Omaha yard that force
would diminish and he would drop down
and be macerated.
"Well, he was a lucky tramp. Just as
they were passing Bellevue, four miles
out of Omaha, the fireman heard him and
hurried back and saw him. He was a
quick witted fireman and reaching one of
his long pokers over he caught it into the
clothes of the hobo and tried to pull him
off and into the safety of the tank. But
he couldn't bulge him. Then he got to
reasoning, and he saw they'd have to shut
off and ease down before the adhesive force
of the speed would let the man be pried
off. The engineer slapped on the air and
threw her over, and after two miles of
easing they got her to a pace that admit
ted of loosening the fellow.
at was very interesting. We have a
full report Of it in the office, written by
the head of the mechanical department at
Omaha. He explains it technically. OF
course I can only give you the bald facts. -
Chicago Record.