The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-01-05

stun myself, but let her 60.
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
commenced to let 'er out at once to
make up for lost time. It was purity
good, even goin then for about 20 mile,
then up an incline of about mile n
down the mountainside II mile. When
we struck the top Of that II mile hill
l kept her wide open for about q half
mile to give US a good start down the
hill n then shut her of n let 'em
buzz.
"The old GOT was stem winder, with
q boiler runnin right through the cab
to the back, dividin the fireman and
engineers side. The airbrake valve
was placed right on top the boiler, to-
ward the back end of the cab, SOS you
could reach it 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, n Conroy sprung
| on me.
ed. I'll teach yer to chuck my booze
overheard. Report me, is it2 You
dirty rag! Shure n you'll never live to
see the super agin.'
"As he leapt on me 1t 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
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 headway down that hill. n we
were fairly sizzlln, the old lnogawl
swayin to n fro as we swung around
turns. The space between the boiler
n the side of the cab was 80 narrer
couldn't turn Conroy OF 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 cravin for more that there
was no reasonin with him. He was sc
big n heavy that 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 n the boiler on the
other n ! huggin him like a long los
brother, the cars behind us meanwhile
dofn the ragtime down that hill
Things were gettin rather excitin, a!
there was likely to be somethin ahea(
Of us, n at the foot of the hill was an
other water plug. 1t was branch sta
ton there, n the engines were switchil
there at all times. If we ever hit any
thing at that rate Of speed, dom
think Joe Hoffman or any Of us woult
ever get In a church but once again, =
that would be ahead Of the mourners
couldn't depend on the train crew t,
do anything, as you know a crew OF
these fast freights draw their none,
for sleepin n playin penuchle In tn
caboose durin trips.
I'VE flashed by a station half wa,
down the hill, goin SO fast that
thought as how that dispatcher In Jel
sey City would giggie with delight
he saw what good time that perishabl
freight was maxim toward Chicago.
racked my brain to think what to dc
| AS the light of that station 6ashe'
through the cab I spied the engineer
valve Of the airbrake. I figured q
how I could reach 1t with my righ
foot, using my toe as a hook, n jer
the valve around to the 'mergenc
notch n stop that train with q ban
that would make Joe Hoffman n hi
crew in the caboose think we'd ru
into a stone wall. I wriggled n &c
my leg loose from under Conroy,
with mighty effort give him a rails
n kicked out at that valve. As luc
would have it, my foot just caught th
valve in the rebound n jerked
around in the 'mergency, n. say. 70
would have thought we had been la.
seed. The jar broke both our holt
? n Conroy staggered to his feet. fe
backward through the back cab doc
n rolled off the tank. N that enc
| ed his railroad career then n ther
, without any special assistance frol
, me.
!, Hoffman came runnin up from th
. caboose when we had stopped
yelled: We'll. dash yer, whatche
! stoppin here for? Can't you keep steal
nuf to drag 'em down hinf
"'Oh,' said. 'Conroy, my fireman,
, | got q sick sister nvin back up here
the woods, n guess he's gone to se
how she Is.
I'VE went back n picked Conroy n
His skull had been fractured by stril
in milepost, n they put his body
the caboose. n got another fireman
he water plug, n we went In on time
: Just then the messenger boy came
= and yelled. stafford, they want 70
fer train 81" and, taking q farewe
, chew Of tobacco, he left.-New Yor
. | Sun.