Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-08-01
NERVE OF ENGINEERS
1T DOES Net, AS A RULE, DESERT
THEM AFTER AN ACCIDENT.

Desperate Chances the Man at the
Throttle Will at Times Take With
out Being Able to Give n Satisfac-
tory Reason For His Action,
81 have been often asked why rail-
way engineers disregard their instruc-
lions and the warning signals along the
line of their road" said the general SUI
perintendent of railroad to man,
''and / have summed it up that it is hui
man nature for men to take chances in
their business and that engineers are
no exception to the general run.
Sometimes they cannot give a salts
factory reason why they do so. 1 will
give you an authentic instance of this
habit which made me live 10 years in
30 minutes.
"On a road was at the time connect
ed with was long trestle over bay
several miles in length, with draw
bridge in the center. The draw had
been opened, and as a tugboat was
passing through the bridge men heard
the rumble of a fast. heavily laden
passenger train as it struck the bridge
mile away Knowing that the red
danger signals We're set with the open
ing of the draw, they supposed that the
engineer would slow up or stop, as
might be necessary. Instead, to their
CONSERVATION. the train came along at
regular speed. and a frightful accident
appeared inevitable. They yelled to the
captain of the tugboat to go at full
speed. and rs the boat glided through
the draw in the darkness they exerted
themselves to swing the draw into the
locking bolts before the train could get
to the point where the rails separated
The engineer, however, disregarded
the last danger signal few hundred
yards from the draw, and came on. By
a remarkable coincidence of time and
position the draw. which was of course
IN motion. swung so that the rails of
the east bound track were in juXtaposi-
ton with the west bound track, upon
which the train was running, and the
heavy engine and one of the passenger
coaches. striking the east bound rails,
glided upon the draw and stuck there,
the remaining portion of the train be-
ing on the west bound track, making
almost figure S of the coaches.
II the draw had moved the thirtieth
part of second faster or slower. the
east bound rails would not have been
opposite the west bound rails at the
very instant that the great engine
StrnpS Them ord n ftitr n,
would have resulted. When l got out
Oh the bridge a few minutes later,
fully expected to find the train in the
bottom Of the bay and the draw smash
ed into splinters. | discharged the en-
glneer on the spot and asked him why
he had not observed the signals. He
admitted that he saw them, but could
not give satisfactory reason for fail
ing to observe them. He evidently took
his chances Of finding the draw closed
when he reached it.
The engineer of today is sober,
steady. nervy man. especially on the
fast express trains on the big roads. 1t
IS nerve that makes one man carry a
limited express train through the dark
ness OF the night, fog. sleet and blind
ing snow at GO miles an hour. The sto-
rles we read about of an engineer los
ing his nerve after an accident are
largely fiction. In 81 years of active
railroad life have had but one or two
men apply to me for transfer upon
the ground that their nerves had gone
PACK on them for running the fast
trains.
nave had men who have been flung
5o feet over their tenders in head on
collision ano had dozen bones broken
come to me after they had been dis.
charged from the hospital and ask to be
put back on their old run. You see, they
pesln firing when they are about IS or
~, and the cab of an engine is their
nome. Ii they run into person or a
wagon load Of people on the track, if it
is not their eault. they take practical
view OF it; they have to. If it is their
1ault. we discharge them. and they can
take any view Of it they please then.
Tor we do not wish in our employ care
less men. This is true with all Of the
big roads. and as result American en-
glneers Of today are about as model a
set OF men in their employment as can
be found Washington Star.