The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-07
NERVEON THE LOCOMOTIVE
An Old Engineers Tribute to
Fellow Driver of Engines.
Rushing by n Broken Freight Train
at Forty Miles nm HOur-His Hand
on the Throttle When He Met His
Fute-His Loved Ones Cared For.

Yes. you can all talk about your
nervy fellows who pulled throttles over
this road, but there amt one of them
that would rank one, two, three, with
poor old Bill Freeman. and you all know
it, remarked the old engineer while
standing by the side of his huge
engine Ginning with picturesque group
of car cleaners, switchmen and fire1nen
who gathered near the oldest man on the
road to hear him spin some of his Gus
tomary road yarns before ne started for
the City OF Brotherly Love with the
Ii 30 limited. Yes" continued he wtping
his greasy hands with a clean piece of
waste. which his fireman had handed
him. There goes Poor Bits old engine
now; see. that mogul there looking
as if she had been through mill or Il
cyclone. I'll tel you boys l do believe
that if 'Nervy Bill Fireman was here
today to guide her shr could make her
same old records with heavy freight.
But to get back to my story, | know
it to be fact, and you all know how
long I've been running this old road
that there never was or there'll never be
a better man than Freeman.
Il remember one night Bill pulled out or
the sta ton waving his hand good-natured-
" to rs He had gotten just about two
miles south of Baltimore when he struck
a double track, and presently long line
of freights approached on another track,
coming toward Washington. When he was
within u couple hundred yards OF the
train he saw a heavy cattle car, right in
the middle of the approaching freight break
its couplings and roll over his track.
1t struck the rails pretty hard. however.
and bounded back and turned partly over
on The south-bound track. In a second al
most Bits train shot by that old car like
an arrow, going at a speed of forty miles
an hour. but Bill didn't lose his head. He
had gagged his distance. and knew he was
o. X, for he passed ii, just grazing the
side. Now the place where the thing hap
pened was near steep embankment and
if he had struck that car it would have
been good night with poor Bill and the
rest abroad. But even this did not feaze
Merry as we called him. He came into
Baltimore station on time, and while his
fireman was telling, with CLASSY eyes. of
their narrow escape old Bill he Just made
out he had to oil his engine as to es-
cape answering questions Then there
was another time he came near meeting
his Maker. He was running a train north
and reached a point where train of the
Baltimore and Ohio crossed over head
There had been n terrible rain during the
night and the ground was soft and soggy
over the loose rails Bins engine slid and
down deep in the earth sunk the whole
business-engine. rails. and all For
few minutes everything was excitement;
the passengers were having all kinds of
fits. and every now and then they would
hear the cheerful voice of Old Bill buried
in the cab with his faithful fireman yell
ing up to them. The ruins of the wrecked
train had now caught fire. and all hands
were working hard to release the two i'm
prisoued men which they succeeded in do
ing only after three hours hard work
They were pulled out however. Bill. he had
one arm badly mashed and his face was so
full of cuts that you couldn't recognize
him; but that didn't feaze him. He just
said: Take me home. fellows. and I'll
be ont in few days. and sure enough.
In month Freeman was back on his en-
CINE as good as ever. Now. fellows. that's
what | call nervy man. But Merry
was bound to get il in the neck some
time, and sure enough one night they did