The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-03-04
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RAILROAD MEN IN ACCIDENTS.
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Empty Beer Keg-A Collision
RAILROAD MEN IN ACCIDENTS.
Fright and Trouble Caused by nm
Empty Beer keg-A Collision
Mt a Crossing.


Cleveland Moffett tells in st. Mich
plas of the life of locomotive engi-
neers.
There is a place in New York-thel
very last place one would think Of
where stories without end may be
heard about locomotives and the men
who run them. 1t is not place OF
CRIME and steam, but quiet and
luxurious club spreading over the top
floor of a very tall building on Forty
second street, and here every day at
luncheon-time railroad officials gath
err; superintendents, managers and
various heads of departments, men
who may have grown prosperous and
portly, but are always proud to talk
about the boys at the throttle, and
recall experiences of their own in cer-
tain exciting runs.
In the wide hall near the entrance
of this transportation club is drlV-
ing-wheel, green painted, from the
De Witt Clinton, the first locomotive
that drew a passenger train IN the
state of New York. 1t is scarcely
larger than wagon wheel, though 1T
is of iron, and an inscription sets
forth how it made the historic TSln
from Albany to Schenectady on Au-
rust 9, ISL The walls show many
pictures, famous Locomotives, scenes
of accidents, and there are thrilling
memories here in abundance If one
have with him some veteran of the
road to recall them.
s'It is not always the most serious
accidents that frighten man most"
remarked a high official of the New
York Central, one day, while the rest
of us listened "One of the worst
scares / ever had was on freight
train when there reisiy wasn't any
thing to be scared about. We had
Just pulled out of Ottumwa, Ia, one
dark night, with a caboose full of
passengers when rump-ump-bang
-ripl You never heard such a
racket First one end of the car was
lifted up off the rails and slammed
down again, and then the other end
was treated the same way; up and
down we went, bump, bump, bump!
and smash went a window, and out
went the lights. Now what do you
suppose it was? Well, it wasn't any
thing alive, but it got as into panic
all right We waved a lantern like
fury to the engineer ahead, but it
seemed an age before he saw it, and
we just bumped along, expecting
every second to be split into kindling-
wood.
Eve stopped at last, and found it
was a beer keg-yes, sir, an empty
beerkeg that had got caught under
the caboose between the rear axle
and the bolster of the truck and had
rolled along over the ties with the
car balanced on it like a man riding
a rail. 1t wasn't broken, either; no,
sir, not a bit; and we had to chisel
through every separate hoop before
we could get it out. Talk about max
ing things strong! That beer keg
was wonder"
81 had more exciting experience
than that" said another official-he
was in the freight-handling depart
ment. "It was long time ago.
remember getting out at a station
near Cincinnati for hurried lynch,
and before 1 knew it the train start
ed. was up by the engine, and as
the drivers began to turn / jumped
on the pilot. Yog see, had often rid
den there, being a railroad man, and
! the engineer knew me.
Everything went well for few
miles, and l sat on the bumper en-
joying the rush of air, for it was a
hot summers day; but presently, as
we swung around a curve, the en-
gine gave fearful Shrek, and just
ahead / saw an old white horse on
the track. He seemed not to hear the
whistle; at all events, he paid no at
tention to it until we were right on
him, and then he was too dazed to
do anything. I saw it was too late,
and drew my legs up off the bumper
and leaned back against the end of
the boiler. ] must have made a piu-
ture as 1 crouched there. And the
next second"
"Well?" said somebody.
"Well-I think you wouldn't care to
hear how things looked the next sec
pnd. We struck the white horse, and
wonder of wonders, it didn't hurt
me, but it was an awful experience.
! can tell you this: I've never ridden
on the pilot of Z locomotive since that
day, and 1 never shall again"