Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-08-10
WOODBURY., N. J, THURSDAY, AUGUST TO- 1899

smell n Pm not dead sef against the
stuff myself. but let her go.
1--WE got started again n walked
away up the hill from the tank as easy
as Willie Bryan makes a nice, long
speech, n | noticed an Improvement
in the steam gauge right away, n l
commenced to let 'er out at once to
make up for lost time. 1t was purity
good, even gOin then for about 20 mile,
then up an incline of about 8 mile n
down the mountainside u mile When
we struck the top of that II mile hill
| kept her wide open for about half
mile to give us good start down the
hill n then shut her off n let em
buzz.
The old 60T was stem winder, with
a boiler runnin right through the cab
to the back. diyidin the fireman and
engineers side The airbrake valve
was placed right on top the boiler, to-
ward the bs ok end of the cab. SOS you
could reach 1t nice n handy while sit
tin in the seat. I'd no more n shut her
off when a shadder fell over my shoul-
der. n | turned quick, q Conroy sprung
on me.
"'You dirty blackguardr he scream
ed. IN teach yer to chuck my booze
overheard. Report me, is it? You
dirty ragl Shure n you'n never live to
see the super ag'in.'
"As he leapt on me it took me back
so that before | could do anything he
grabbed me by the shoulder, n fell
backward alongside the boiler, my
head on the front doorsill of the cab.
my back on the floor n Conroy on top
of me. Although | was partly stunned
by the fall, had mind enough left to
get my arms around him n hug him
close to me.
"All this time the train had been
gainin Roadway down that hill, N we
were fairly sizzlin. the old mogawl
swayin to n fro as we swung around
turns. The space between the boiler
n the side of the cab was so narrer /
couldn't turn Conroy off me, n
didn't dare let loose Of him for fear
that he'd get hold of my throat. He
was so crazed by the liquor that he'd
drunk n his crayin for more that there
was no reasonin with him. He was so
big n heavy that l couldn't do much
the way we lay, my back fat on the
floor, hemmed In by the side of the
cab on one side u the boiler on the
other n / huggin him like a long lost
brother, the cars behind US meanwhile
doin the ragtime down that hill.
Things were gettin rather excitin. as
there was likely to be somethin ahead
of US, n at the foot of the hill was an
other water plug. 1t was branch sta
tiOn there. n the engines were switchin
there at all times. If we ever hit any
thing at that rate of speed, | don't
think Joe Hoffman or any of us would
ever get in a church but once again. q
that would be ahead of the mourners.
couldn't depend on the train crew to
do anything. as you know crew on
these fast freights draw their money
for sleepin n playin penuehle in the
caboose durin trips.
I'VE flashed by a station half way
down the hill. goin so fast that /
thought as how that dispatcher in Jer-
sey City would giggle with delight If
he saw what good time that perishable
freight was maxim toward Chicago /
racked my brain to think what to do
AS the light of that station flashed
through the cab spied the engineers
valve of the airbrake. figured as
how | could reach it with my right
foot, using my toe as a hook. n jerk
the valve around to the 'mergency
notch p stop that train with a bang
that would make Joe Hoffman % his
crew In the caboose think we'd run
into stone wall. | wriggled n got
my leg loose from under Conroy, n
with a mighty effort give him a raise
n kicked out at that valve. AS luck
would have it, my foot just caught the
valve In the rebound n jerked it
around in the mergency. n. say, you
would have thought we had been las
seed. The Jar broke both our hoIts,
n Conroy staggered to his feet, fell
backward through the back cab door
n rolled off the tank. N that end
ed his railroad career then n there
without any special assistance from
me.
Hoffman came runnin up from the
caboose when we had stopped n
yelled: Well. dash yer, whatcher
stoppin here for? Can't you keep steam
nuf to drag EN- down hillY
"'Oh.' l said, 'Conroy, my fireman, IS
got sick sister livin back up here In
the woods, n guess he's gone to see
how she is.
I'VE went back n picked Conroy up.
His skull had been fractured by strik-
in a milepost, n they put his body In
the caboose. n got another fireman at
he water plug. n we went in on time"
Just then the messenger boy came In
and yelled, stafford, they want you
fer train 81" and, taking farewell
chew Of tobacco. he left.-New York
Sun.