The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-01-31
RAILROAD MEN IN AccDENTss
fright and TroabIe Caused ~
Empty Beer Keg-A COIIfsfoh
~ = CrosainE.

7
neers.
There Is 3 place in New York-thd9
very last place one would think Of
where stories without end may b.
heard about locomotives and the nem
who run them. It Is not place "a
CRIME and steam, but . quiet ana
luxurious club spreading over the ton
A0or Of very tall building on Forty
second street, and here every day az
luncheon-tirne railroad officials gath
er; superintendents. managers and
various heads Of departments, zen
who may have grown prosperous aad
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 entranca
of this Transportation club is a driy1
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 a wagon wheel, though it
is of iron, and an inscription sets
forth how it made the historic rsn
from Albany to Schenectady on Au-
gust 9, 1881. Ihe 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.
1T is not always the most serious
accidents that frighten q man most"
remarked high official Of the New
York Central, one day, while the rest
of us listened. cone of the worst
scares ever had was on a freight
train when there rely wasn't any
thing to be scared about. We had
just pulled out Of Ottumwa, Ia, one
dark night, with a caboose full Of
I passengers. when rump-ump-bang
rip! 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, bumpl
and smash went a window, and out
went the lights. Now what do you
suppose it was2 Well, 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 kindliug-
wood
1--WE stopped at last, and found it
was beer keg-yes, sir, an empty
beerleg 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 II like man riding
a rail. 1t wasn't broken, either; no,
I sir, not bit; and we had to chisell
\ through every separate hoop before
we could get it out. Talk about maxi
ing things strongl That beer ksE
was wonder"
II bad more exciting experiences
than that" SAD another onicial-he
was in the freight-handling depart-
ment: 1T .@e@~ @ a lory time 60
remember getting out at a station
near Cincinnati for a hurried lunch,
and before knew ST the train start4
ed. 1 was up by the engine. and as
the drivers began to turn I jumped
on the pilot. You see, I had often rid
den there, being a railroad man. and
the engineer knew me.
Everything went wei for few
miles, and I sat on the bumper en-
joying the rush Of air. for it was a
hot summers dav; but presently. :.
we swung around a curve. the en-
gine gave a fearful shrek. and lust
ahead I saw an old white horse, an
the track. He seemed rot to hear the
whistle; at al events. he paid no at
tention to it until we wels right on
him. and then he was too dazed to
Dc anything. J saw it was too late.
and I drew my. legs up of the bumper
and leaned back against the enu Sc
the boiler. 7 must have made n;.-
TIE as I crouched there. And the
next second"
"Neli2" said somebody.
-Nell-I think you wouldn't care to
hear how things looked the next sec
ond. We struck the white horse. and
wonder Of wonders. st didn't hurt
me. but It wzs an awful experience.
can tel you this: I've never -id6en.
on ne pilot of'a locomotive since that
oay, and never shah again.
rree froa Di.eaae.
n tr..- .rs----- 3.