The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-07-20

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Over in the lounging room for the
trainmen at the terminus of one of the
trunk lines in Jersey City several train
men We're exchanging stories of hair
breadth escapes, fast rides and instances
Of presence Of mind, while waiting to
be summoned to their duties. Finally
1t came the turn of small, gray
haired. keen eyed man.
"Wen, yes" he said. taking a chew
Of his neighbours tobacco. 81 had one
excitin trip. 1t was long back in 'SS,
before the comm of these double
cabbed Mother Hubbard enjines on
which. if you want to speak to the fire.
man. you have to stop at telegraph
station n send him a message or else
slap the air over in the Emergency
notch N bring him up to you whether
he wants to come or not. Never did
like these pesky double deckers. l was
doing stunts on the 6O7-a good old
mogawi she were, too. Just out the
w
had the airbrakes put on her.
81 left the other end of the division
on trip right after pay day n my reg
u1ar fireman had reported i'll. I'd seen
him the night before n he looked
rather weak n tired, n thought he'd
been taken i'll. They used to have a
great trick doin that after they's got
their mon. had a fellow by the name
Of Conroy in his place, n we hadn't
got along very far fore came to the
conclusion that he was mite under
the weather, too, n he couldn't make
the old GOT steam nohow. The outcome
OF it was that we laid down several
times on the trip n barely caught
the steamer with our export freight.
Old Nuthead, the enjine dispatcher, he
made me walk the carpet, n said if ]
didn't do better'n that he'd drop me
back on coal again. hadn't been run
min fast freight very long n left him
feelin rather testy. but I didn't say
anything bout Conroy, as / thought
that durin our lay over in this end he'd
kinder pound his ear n sleep off the
booze N be all right goin back.
1--WE caught train 70 for the return
trip with about Is cars perishable stuff
for Chicago which were rugged up
with the air, which was a purity good
string of airbrake cars for those days,
n about ID scabs. without air. l was
thinkin what stop you could make on
short notice with them, n how, you
could turn things over in the caboose.
Old Joe Hoffman was our conductor,
n he was an awful man to swear n
cut up high jinks if everything didn't
come his way.
1--WE hadn't moved out very far along
the headers when l saw as how I'd
have to do some tail figurin to git that
train in on time. Soon's we'd git to a
little grade I'd drop her down notch
or two. N she'd kick up her heels N
lay right down for want Of wind. Con-
roy, instead of sleepin while he was off
duty. had gone out n put on some fin
ishin touches n made it worse.
"You can just guess l was mad clean
through, n thought to myself as how
/ would get Mr.. Conroy about 80 days
in which to rest n p'raps end his little
railroadin career soon's we got home
again. When we got to the first wa
term tank. about 40 miles out, we had
used up jest 2 hours n Is minutes.
The regular runnin time was only 1
hour n 40 minutes, so you see we'd
lost 80 minutes on 40 miles almost lev
ei n with light train. The outlook
was that we'd never make the heavier
grades on the western end unless Con-
roy took a brace. While | was oilin
around Hoffman came runnin up cuss-
in like one mad n says:
"'Blankety blank blank, you. what
the blanks matter wider? wanter
cit home in time for church Sunday.
Here's a message from Jersey which
SAYS as how IL yer don't hurry up
they'll take yer off here at the mex
plug n give us respectable man.
~As this was only about midnight
Tuesday night his speech got my dan
der I'D, n told him as how he n Jer-
sey could both go where asbestus cloth
10 is a boon n the broilin sun never
sets. But climbed up on the tank. n
maybe / didn't give that fireman
settin out
"sYou long, lanky blunderbuss,' !
says. for he was a big codger. much
( biggern meself. If you don't take g
purity sudden brace n keep the wind
ND on this mogawi till we get In you
might as well sit right down here n
send your regrets to the super, cause
III report you soon's we git in, or my
name amt John Stafford
"He give me kinder reproachful
look n commenced fxin his fire. As l
turned to put my oil can in the box !
spted bottle OF whisky. I grabbed
that bottle n turned roun to Conroy.
sxhar / says. so this is the cause Of
our gaspin for breath every I'VE min
ufes. is it? Well. here she goes, n \
plugged that bottle over on the track
= broke it into 50 pieces, not withos
some regrets, as # had q pretty good