The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-01-05
STRUGGLE ON
AN ENGINE.
How an Engineer on His Back,
Locked With an Enemy. Stopped
the Train.

How an Engineer on HIS Back, +
) Locked With an Enemy. Stopped
the Train.
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
it came the turn Of small, gray
haired, keen eyed man.
"Well. yes" he said. taking chew
Of his neighbors tobacco. II had one
excitin trip. 1t was long back in 49,
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 a telegraph
station n send him a message or else
slap the air over In the 'mergency
notch n bring him up to you whether
he wants to come or not. Never did
like these pesky double deckers. was
doing stunts on the 6O7-a good old
mogawl she were, too. Just out the
shop, where she'd been overhauled n
had the airbrakes put on her.
81 left the other end of the division
on trip right after pay day n my reg
ular fireman had reported LII. I'd seen
him the night before n he looked
rather weak n tired, n I thought he'd
been taken Ill. They used to have
great trick doin that after they's got
their mon. l had fellow by the name
Of Conroy In his place, n we hadn't
got along very far fore l came to the
conclusion that he was a mite under
the weather, too, n he couldn't make
the old 6O7 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 rum
min fast freight very long n left him
feelin rather testy, but l didn't say
anything bout Conroy, as l thought
that durin our lay over in this end he'd
kinder pound his ear n sleep of the
booze n be all right goin back.
1--WE caught train 70 for the return
trip with about 13 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 Is 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 meaders when l saw as how I'd
have to do some tall flgurin to git that
train in on time. Soon's we'd git to o
little grade I'd drop her down a notch
or two, N she'd kick up her heels r
lay right down for want of wind. Con
roy, instead of sleepin while he was of
duty. had gone out n put on some fin
ishin touches n made 1t worse.
"You can just guess I was mad clear
through, n thought to myself as how
l 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 hai
used up jest 2 hours n Is minutes
The regular runnin time was only
hour n As minutes, SO you see wee
lost 80 minutes on 40 miles almost lev
ell n with a light train. The outlool
was that we'd never make the heavier
grades on the western end unless Con
roy took a brace. While l was oiliI
around Hoffman came runnin up cuss
In like one mad n says:
'Blankety blank blank, you. wha1
the blanks matter wider? l wantel
git home in time for church Sunday
Here's a message from Jersey which
says as how IL yer don't hurry vi
they'll take yer off here at the mex
plug n give us respectable man.
"As this was only about midnigh
Tuesday night his speech got my dan
der up, n told him as how he n Jer
sey could both go where asbestus cloth
in is a boon n the broilin sun neve
SETS But climbed up on the tank, I
maybe l didn't give that fireman {
Settin out.
"'You long. lanky blunderbuss.'
says, for he was a big codger. mucl
bigger'n meself. If you don't take
purity sudden brace n keep the wint
up on this mogawl till we get in 20,
might as well sit right down here i
send your regrets to the super. 'caus'
I'll report you soon's we git in. or m!
name amt John Stafford
He give me a kinder reproachfu
look n commenced fixin his fire. As
turned to put my oil can In the box
spied a bottle of whisky. ] grabbe,
that bottle n turned roun to Conroy
'Ahar l says, so this Is the cause o
our gaspin for breath every five min
utes, is 1t? Well, here she goes n
plugged that bottle over on the tracl
n broke it into 80 pieces not withou
some regrets. as II had pretty goo