Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-18

How the Old Engineer Was Cured al
Inconyenient Habit.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.


From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Funny things happen now and then on
a railroad said the old engineer. remin-
iscently, things that don't come to the
notice of the heads or get into the news
papers, either; and that makes me recall
little incident that occurred several years
ago on the Q. and NJ
There was an old fellow named Tom Nc
HalIock-commonly known as Headlight
Tom-pulling one Of the passenger runs at
that time. who had the repu'' ,tion of never
stopping to pick up a flag. Now, you know
when a man goes out to protect the rear
end of his train he carries a supply of tor
pedoes, besides his flag or lanterns. He
puts one of the torpedoes on the rail about
a quarter of a mile behind the caboose. and
several hundred yards further back he pla-
ces two more. these last two about fifty
feet apart. Then he returns and takes up
his post by the first one. When his train
gets into the siding or ready TO pun out, as
the case may be- the ftagman is called
in by whistle signals from the engine
you've heard them, four long blasts if the
train IS east-bound. and four long blasts
and q short one if the train is westfhound.
Well, if no train is coming behind when
this signal is given. the fagman takes off
the one torpedo and comes in. He leaves
the other two because they are only intend
ed as d sort of warning: they mean Get
your train under control So when the en-
gineer Of the following train strikes them
and doesn't hear the third one or get
stop signal he knows that the train ahead
is safely out of the way.
But the first train often pulls out in
such a hurry that the flagman gets left.
Then unless the following train will slow
and pick him up, he has 10 walk to the
station: and this may be some little water
tank where he'll have to wait hours before
anything stops to take him on. But the
fact is that nearly all engineers will slow
after striking the two torpedoes when
they see the flagman waiting, but there's
nothing in the instruction book that says
they must.
We'll, as I've said. Headlight Tom would
never stop for a flag. He was pulling Two
and Seven. and very proud of always arriv-
ing on time though. of course, the little
he'd lose in slowing to pick up a flag or
two wouldn't have amounted to anything.
He was unpopular on this account, but no.
body ever took any steps toward getting
even with him until Andy Mullins came on
the road
Mullins was a man off the 'Katy'-one
of these big. rawboned westerners. n good
deal OF a b0aster. and a bad man in
fight. He hadn't been on the road two
months before Headlight Tom ran by him
one night in a bowling rainStOrnl, and Null
Inns tumbled into a cattle pass and had all
kinds of mishapS walking in. He swOre
he'd get even with old Tom for that, and
offered to bet box of cigars that Tom
would not only stop for him next time. but
ask him to ride. The bet was taken soon
enough. and everybody waited to see how
the thing would turn out.
The fagman. You know. always has
charge of the lamps in the caboose. Well.
the boys on Mullins crew used 20 notice a
lot of old rusty lantern frames in the oil
room after this and wonder how they got
there. Never mind saws Mullins we may
need them some day; who knows?
They had been making a test. of a new
compound engine on the division. She'd
been up there nearly week. and the ex-
perts had got all the figures they wanted.
and ii was finally arranged to send her
back east on >. OF course. old Headlight
Tom was happy as a boy with new drum
and he allowed he'd make a record with
that engine that would surprise the folks
that designed her. Mullins got wind Of
this, for he'd just come in that morning:
and, instead of taking his lay over. he got
them to send him right out again in place
of sick man. He went on an extra sev-
eral hours before Is leaving time. and took
with him a big, awkward-loolling bundle
fl ON his own CaboOse.
Things must have gone just about as he
wanted them to, for about half way down
the division they had TO make quick run
between stations ahead of >, and Mullins
going out to protect them. got left. of
course. He took the big bundle with him,
too.
THE rest of it was told me by Headlight
Toms fireman. It seems that they had been
making record-breaking time all the way
over the division with the new machine,
and old Tom had her wide open and sat
there with tears in his eyes. he was so
happy They were sailing down Bowmans-
vile hill under full steam. to get a swing
over the up grade beyond the station, when
all of a sudden, as they rounded the curve
they struck two torpedoes, and the next
minute a tail-end doomed up down the tan
gent.
Headlight Tom shut off reversed. jamn1-
ed on the emergency air. and pulled ont
the sand lever. and the fireman got in the
CslT To he, I
minute TO calculate whether they'd hit the
other train. and. 10 and behold, the tail
end was gone. They'd pretty nearly stopped
by that time. Old Tom was weak IS a cat
and said they'd just crawl along slowly and
see what it meant; so they did for a little
piece. and pretty soon they came up to Il
fagman standing with his red and white
lights beside the track. The fellow didn't
make any move toward getting aboard,
though. and Headlight Tom holIered to him
and told him to get But when he saw
who it was he was mad enough to Jump
into the frebox.
where's your train?' says Tom
g Gone twenty minutes answers Mui-
Inns.
But I saw tail-end out here saws
Headlight Tom, and then Mullins laughed.
THE way he'd worked it was simple
enough. He brought along three old red
lights besides his own red light and white
light. Well. he tied a red flag over his
white lamp, and that gave him five reds.
He set two of them the ground a few
feet apart, held two more in his hands with
his arms stretched out at his sides. and had
the other on his head. Then he looked like
the tail end of a train for fair.
when he heard old Tom put on the air
he knew he'd be looking across the cab to
speak to the fireman. and he threw the old
lamps into the ditch and stepped TO one
side Mullins won the cigars. and old Toms
record was spoiled; but 1 never heard of
his running by flag since"
Poignant Atfeufiou
From the Chicago Record.
Whats the matter with little Jim?"
ssTIe wanted a watch his birthday and