The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-10
AN UNLUCKY ENGINEER.
fFrom the Denver Republican,

ST would like to make a few runs with
out having to Ill out blank ZSlO sald En-
gfneer John Howlings, of the Colorado e
Southern railroad. 1.-The blamedest luck
has followed me for the past month;
Nearly every time I come in have to I'll
out 2S10, which is the report of accidents.
If run over a whole city full of people
or a. part of my engine breaks have to
make a report on that same blank. If
/ don't run over some stock somewhere, a
port. Only two weeks ago. coming from
Palmer Lake, / killed ID Pigs Orders had
been issued for all the engineers to look
out for those pigs, for they were running
along the track, and the officers We G
place. where they were to be found was
specified and 1 went over that track at
the rate of about 10 miles an hour.
Il had one of those new big engines.
where the fire box is away down close
to the track. They are big fellows and
the only bad feature is that the fireman
has to get down under the engine, lift the
door in the front of the ash pan and
use his long drag to pull out the ashes.
My fireman was an ingenious fellow. and
he had fixed a piece of telegraph wire so
he could pull open the little door without
getting down. 1t was pretty cold up there
on the Divide and rain and snow were
falling We were about two miles past
the T9lace S1,tera We had haen vvarned
and it was impossible to see very far
ahead. Suddenly I heard something was
onto the right Of way. We had Struck
that pack off its range There was Moth
to go on. At the next station the firem n
got down to scrape out his ashes, and the
pig. The last time he had opened his
ash pan with his telegraph wire he had
forgotten to close it, and there were two
young pigs scooped into the pan. One
was not dead yet.
About a week later. just. this side Of
Palmer Lake, 1 hit two of these little
mountain burros; hit 'em both at the
same time. It was another time just ike
the other, with rain and snow falling 1t
was just at that hour of the morning
when it is coolest and light is barely be-
ginning to show. The storm was so heavy
I could hardly see the telegraph poles.
My fireman called to me that there was
something ahead, and / looked out. The
two burros were about 35 feet away and
/ had go loads behind me. / had to let
her rip and trust to luck. I saw some
thing fly out on the right of way on my
side and told the fireman I guessed that
had been fixed all right But when we
got to the next station there was half #
one of the burrOs on the pilot. He had
been cut in two as, smooth as anything
out and tried to sink it into the carcass
and pull it away. but the thing had frozen
there. 1t stayed there, too, until we got
to the end of the run and then the men
had to take hose and warm water to
thawi it out and get it off.
THAT seems like hard luck enough for
one month. but had another. L ran
I was running right ahead of passen-
ger and was making pretty good time 10
keep from being laid out somewhere to
let the passenger go by. I came out from
Larkspur a-sailing, and just as I turned
that. first curve this side there was
hand car half a mile down the track, and
four Swedes pumping it. They were go
ing the same way I was, and 1 whistled
for them to get off the track. At first
they paid no attention to me, and then
they all jumped off and began to push
the thing. If they had lifted it off thy
could have got away, but when they be-
gan to push I knew it was up to me- I
tried to stop, but we were Close and
did not leave a piece of that car big
enough to make kindIng wood
Of course stopped a " Mt back, and
what do you think was hurting that bOss2
He said he didn't mind anything 50 much
as that had broken the dishes taken out
lunch of nf nj
plates with these blue flowers on them
The boss said his wife would raise the
devil with him for cracking the crockery.
His hand car was smashed, the front of
my engine had everything taken eff. hea +
light with the rest, but his grief was oyer
about Is cents worth of dishes that his
wife would sccld about"