Smyrna times., 1901-08-21
NERVES OF OUR RAILROAD
ENGINEERS ARE TESTED
1T DOES NOT, AS A RULE, DESERT THEM
AFTER AN ACCIDENT.
Desperate Chances the Man at the Throttle
Will at Times Take in Cases of
Dire Emergency.


Dire Emergency.
81 have been often asked why rail-
way engineers disregard their instruc-
tions and the warning signals along the
line of their road" said the general su-
perintendent of a railroad to a man,
and l have summed it up that it is hui
man nature fer 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
| 80 minutes.
"On road l was at the time connect
ed with was a long trestle over bay
several miles in length, with n 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
q mile away. Knowing that the red
danger signals were 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 frightful accident
appeared inevitable. They yelled to the
captain of the tugboat to go at full
speed, and as 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, a 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 of the coaches.
IF 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
struck them. and a frightful disaster
would have resulted. When 1 got out
on 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 a satisfactory reason for fail
Ing to observe them. He evidently tool,
his chances Of finding the draw closed
when he reached it.
THE engineer of today is n sober
steady, nervy man. especially on the
Iast express trains on the big roads. 1t
Is nerve that makes one man carry
limited express train through the dark
ness of the night, fog. sleet and blind
ing snow at 60 miles an hour. The sto-
ries we read about of an engineer los.
Ing his nerve after an accident are
largely fiction. In % years of active
rallroad life ! have had but one or two
men apply to me for n transfer upon
the ground that their nerves had gone
back on them for running the fast
trains.
Il have had men who have been flung
0O feet over their tenders in a head on
collision and had dozen bones broken
come to me after they had been dis
charged from the hospital and ask TO bo
put back on their old run. You see. tbev
begin firing when they are about 1S or
70. and the cab of an engine IS their
home. If they run into a person or n
wagon load of people on the track. If II
Is not their fault. they take a practical
view of it; they have to. If it Is their
tault, we discharge them, and they can
take any view of it they please then.
Ior we do not wish in our employ care.
less men. This is true with all Of the
Dig roads, and as result American en-
gineers of today are about as model a
set of men in their employment as can
be found."- Washington Star.