Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-03
ON THE RAIL.
Strange Accidents Which BefaII
Trainmen.
Story Of a Portland Engineer who Has a Sill
yer Face.

When you sit in one Of the little
shanteS which are scattered about ir
the tangle of tracks in the railroad
yards. if the minds of the men who
drop in to light their lanterns or warn
their hands at the glowing stove TURF
to their experiences out on the line
you will hear some queer tales anG
some that are of mighty interest. II
was one night recently that | sat in
one of the shanties. SAYS a writer in
the Portland Sunday Times. Outside
cleaned the myriad of switch lights
green and red. until the acres Of yard
looked like a checker board with the
squares all Illuminated 1t was 4
quiet half hour. Away off in the dis
lance somewhere. switch engine
was moving about with great deal of
putting and occasional ringing Of the
hell. but that was about the only one
Of the usual sounds to break the
silence. don't know just what the
hance remark was that turned the
conversation to the matter of the ac-
cidentS which befall the railroad men.
the accidents which are dismissed
with few lines of report in the
papers but which may mean a good
deal to the men who suffer. Here are
one or two Of the strange cases which
were mentioned as We sat ana talked
in the shanty.
One of the best known of the rail
road engineers running out of Port
land has a silver face. which is Il
triumph of the art Of the surgeon.
How he got it was told by one of the
group When you leave the ears at a
station where the train stops by a
watering tank. you see the fireman
climb over the coal in the tender and
swing out from the bottom Of the big
tank which rises over his head like a
tower. a great iron pipe. Then ne
pulls rope and a mighty stream Of
water pours into the opening in the
tank in the tender. 1t was at one of
these tanks that the engineer who
now wears a silver cheek attempted
to turn on the water one day and sue
ceeded beyond his expectations. He
was fireman at that time and little
thought as he clambered back over
the coal in the tender Of the danger
into which he was stepping. Some
thing was wrong with the apparatus
and when the big pipe was swung
around over the tender, il burst with
terrific force. a piece of the metal
in one side of the face of the
fireman. He fell in a heap on the coal
and lay there several minutes while
the engineer. ignorant of what had
happened kept on with his work Of
Jiling the great locomotive. When he
discovered his assistant he supposed
that the man was dead. The fireman
was covered with blood and uncOn-
scious. Railroad men lose no time in
4 case Of this sort and a special train
was soon making time for Portland
With the injured man on board. Here
le was taken to the hospital and later,
after he had been nursed back to
health and his wounds had healed. he
vas provided with the appliance which
oday gives his face the appearance ii
lad before the accident. At the hos
)ital. the injuries healed but the bones
II the face had been so crushed that
hey We're removed. 1t was then that
he skill of the surgeon came into
clay. a delicate plate of silver was
fashioned which now reposes under
he check Of the engineer ana holds
he injured side Of his face to its
original shape You would not know
hat the engineer Wore any such APP
plianCe, but" say the railroad men.
he kicks when it is cold day for
hat silver cheek gets mighty frosty
~ ,.f lt Shi inc
n the railroad yards is an engineer
Nho lost the sight of one eye in a pc
'uliar manner. He was in charge Of
he engine on a fast express and was
BOWLING along at lightning speed one
lay when a partridge flew into the OPP
n window Of the cab and struck him
air in the face. He heard the swish
ma Whirr Of the birds wings he felt
he blow and it lift him with but one
-ye the work being done in a second.
# course. he could not again run 4
/ passenger train but railroads look
lut for their disabled employees and
hat is why the man who once held the
hrottle on the fast express now makes
short trips in the yards on a Shifter.
The railroad man pays little atten-
ion to the loss Of finger or So but
'tW lose them all. There is said to be
n Portland a man formerly employed
rs n brakeman who holds the record as
/ finger distributor. He has left fin
gers all along the line. He never lost
more than one at Il time but in the
ma he lost them all. A hand with one
n two fingers only may be serviceable
II the railroad business. but a hand
With none is not of much value and the
nan who gave up ten fingers one after
another that cars might be Shackled
$ now in another business where he
would not be likely to lose any fingers
ven if he had them.
Il suppose that there are a good