The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-02-02
RAILROAD MEN IN ACCIDENTS.
fright aAa TrsubIe Caused ~ n@
ERptV Bssr Kog-A Co1lfsioA
at = o-oasing.

I NloVcl8A0 MO4o@t buAAA "A @es AtAN-A~
alas of the life Of locomotive engt.
neers.
/ There il q place In New Xork-the,
very last place one would think Of
whsrs stories without end may b
heard about Iocsmotives and the me@i
who nun them. It Ia not q place Of
CRIME and steam. but q quiet and
luxurious club apreading over the top
seer OF very tall building on FOrtY-
second street, and hare every day at
hacheon-time railroad officials gath
er; Superintendents, managers and
various heads of departments, men
who may have grown prosperous and
por6y, but are always proud to tslR
about the boys at the throttle, and
recall experiences Of their own in oer-
tain exciting runs.
In the wide hall near the entranco
of this transportation club is a driv-
ing-wheel, green painted, from the
De Witt Clinton, the first locomotive
that drew a passenger train in the
state OF New York. It is scarcely
larger than a wagon wheel, though it
is of iron, aud an inscription sets
forth how it made the historic rTn
from Albany to Schenectady on Au-
gust 8, 1891. 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.
at is not always the most serious
accidents that frighten a man most"
remarked a high official of the New
York Central, one day, while the rest
Of US listened. Zone of the worst
scares 1 ever had was on a freight
train when there rs;kiy wasn't any
thing to be scared about. We had
just pulled out of Ottumwa, Ia, one
dark night, with q caboose full of
passengers. when rump p-amp-bang
-ripl You never heard such
racket. First one end of the car was
lifted up of the rails and slammed
down again, and then the other end
was treated the same way; up and
down we went, bump, bump, bumpi
and smash went a window, and out
went the lights. Now what do you
suppose it was? Wen, it wasn't any
thing alive, but it got us into panic
all right We waved q 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 ldndling-
wood.
1--WE stopped at last, and found it
was a beer keg-yes, sir, an empty
beerlzeg 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 Ike q man riding
a rail- 1t wasn't broken, either; no,
sir not bit; ana we had to chisel
through every separate hoop before
we could get it cut Talk about MAKE
ing things strongl That beer keg
was a wonder"
Il had a more exciting experience
than that" said another onicial-he
was in the freight-handling depart-
ment' 1T was a long time ago.
remember getting out at q station
near Cincinnati for a hurried lunch.
and before 7 knew it the train start
ea. i was UP hy the engine, and as
The drivers began 10 turn i jumped
on the pilot. You see, i had often rid
den there, being g railroad man, and
the engineer knew me.
Everything went well for a few
nales, and sat on the bumper. en-
joying the rush Of air, for 1T was a
hot summers day; but presently. IS
we swung around a curve. the en-
CINE gave a fearful Shrek. and iush
ahead I saw an old white horse, on
the track He seemed not to hear the
whistle; at an events, he paid no at
tention 70 it until we were right on
him, and then he was too dazed to
DO anything. I saw it uas too late.
and 7 drew my less ZIP on tile bumper
aud leaned baek against the ena Of
the boiler. / uust have made MIC
ture as I crouched there. And the
next second-'
"Wen2' said somebody.
hell-I thinl sou wouldn't care to
hear how things looked the next sec
ond Ne struck the white horse. ana
wonder 81 wonders. it didn't brre
me. bus i was an awful evnerienoa.
ean te.l son this. 1--WE never ridden
on the pilot Of Locomotive since that
cay and I never shan agafn.r