The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-07-31
NERVE OF ENGINEERS
IT DOES NOT, AS A RULE, DESERT
THEM AFTER AN ACCIDENT.


THEM AFTER AN ACCIDENT.
Desperate Chances the Man ut the
Throttle WIN at Times Take With
ont Being Able ia Give IL sntisfac-
tory Henson For His Action.
II 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
perlatndcnt of railroad to man,
"and have summed il up That 1t Is hui
man nature fer men to take chances in
their business and that engineers are
no exception 10 the general run.
Sometimes they cannot give n salts
factory reason why they do So / will
give you an authentic Instance of this
habit which made me live 10 years in
30 minutes.
"On n road | was ut the time connect
ed with was n long trestle over bay
several miles in length, with n draw
| bridge in the center. The draw had
tes,.,-, -,.s,-s-,.l
passing through the bridge men heard
| the rumble of n fast. heavily laden
passenger train as it struck the bridge
IL 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 frlghtful accident
appeared inevitable. They yelled to the
captain of the tughoat IL go at full
speed. and as the boat gllded 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, disreearded
the last danger signal, II few hundred
yards from the draw, and came on. BY
n remarkable coincidence OF time and
position the draw which Was of course
IN motion, swung SO that the rails of
the east bound track We're In IuNtaposl-
ton with the west bound track, upon
which the train was running, aud the
heavy engine and one of the passenger
| coaches, striking the east bound rails,
gllded upon the draw and stuck there
the remaining portion of the train be-
Ing on the weA bound track, making
almost figure s of the coaches.
III the draw had moved the thirtieth
part of n second faster or slower, the
east bound rails would not have been
opposite the west bound rails ut the
very instant that the great engine
struck them, and n frightlul disaster
would have resulted. When | got out
ON the bridge few minutes later, l
fully expected to find the train In the
bottom of the hay and the draw smash
cd into spllntcrs. | discharged the en-
gIneer on the spot aud asked him why
he had not observed the signals. He
admitted that ne 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 II.
"fhe engineer Of today Is a sober,
steady, neryy man especially. on-the
fast express trains on the big roads. t
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 nm hour. The sto-
|
Ing his nerve after an accident are
largely fiction. In - years Of active
railroad life | have had but one or two
men apply TO me for Il transfer upon
the ground that their nerves had gone
back on them for running the fast
trains.
81 have had men who have been flung
30 feet over their tenders IN head on
collision and had a dozen bones broken
come to me after they had been dis
charged from the hospital and ask to be
put baclS ON their old run. You see, they
Segln firing when they are about 1S or
20, and the cab Of an engine IS their
home. If they run into person or II
wagon load of people on the track, If 1t
Is not their fault, they take practical
view OF It; they have to. If 1t Is their
fault, we discharge them, and they can
take any view Of it they please then.
for we do not wish in our employ care
less men. This IS true with all of the
big roads, and as n result American en-.
gineers Of today are about as model Il
set Of men In their employment as can
be found. "-Washlngto Star.