The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-08-01
NERVE OF ENGINEERS
IT DOES NOT, AS A RULE, DESERT
THEM AFTER AN ACCIDENT.


Desperate Chances the Man at the
Throttle VIII at Times rake with
out Bcing Able To give u satiSfnc-
tory Reason For his Action.
IL have been often asked why rail
way engineers disregard their instruc-
fions and the warning signals along the
line of their road, said the general sn-
perintondcnt of a railroad to man,
"and have summed II up that IL Is hu-
man nature for men 10 take chances In
their business aud that engineers are
no exception 10 the general run.
Sometimes they cannot give 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 a road was at the time connect
ed with was a long trcstle over a bay
several miles IN length, with a draw
bridge In the center. The draw had
been opened. ana as tugboat was
passing through the bridge men heard
the rumble Of a fast, heavily laden
passenger train as It struck the bridge
a 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, aud frghtful accident
appeared inevitable They yelled to the
captain OF the tugbont 10 go at fun
speed, and as the boat glldcd through
the draw in the darkness they excrtcd
themselves TO swing the draw into the
locking bolts before the train could get
10 the point where the rails separated.
'"The engineer. however disregardcd
the last danger signal, 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 were I'm juXtaposi-
tion 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.
gllded upon the draw and stuck there.
the remaining portion of the train be-
ing on the west bound track, making
almost n figure Of the coaches.
III the draw had moved the thlrtieth
part OF q second faster or slower. the
east bound rails would not have been
opposite the west bound rails nt the
very instant that the great engine
struck them. and a frightful disaster
would have resulted. When | got out
on the bridge n few minutes later. |
fully expected to find the train in the
bottom OF the bay and the draw smash.
ed into spllnters ! discharged the en-
gineer 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 10 observe them. He evidently took
his chances H Guiding the draw closed
when he reached il.
"The engineer Of today is sober,
steady, ncrvy man. especially on the
fast express trains on the big roads. IL
IL nerve that makes one man carry
limited express train through the dark
ness of the night. fog. slect and blind
Ing snow at GO 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
railroad life have had but one or two
men apply TO me for 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
90 feet over their tenders in a head on
collision and had a dozen bones broken
come 10 me after they had been dis
charged from the hospital and ask 10 he
put back On their old run. You see. they
begin firing when they are about IS or
20, and the cab OF an engine Is their
home. IL they run into n person or
wagon load of people on the track. II II
is not their fault they take n practical
view of II; they have TO- II II 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 a result American en-.
Gineers OF today are about as model
set OF men In their employment as can
be- found.'-W Washington Star.