The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1903-11-13
UNDER THE TRAIN.
ny LAWRENCE >. YATES.

minutes at the station for my he.
lated train, fell into CONVERSE.
tion with Il big, athletic young fel
low in oily jeans, who was sitting
next to me in the row Of seats just
outside the waiting.room door.
He was u brakeman, | soon
learned, on the freight.train
which was lying over" in the
siding opposite. | said something
about the dangers common 10 the
life of railroading, which led him
TO tell me Of n peculiar and most
pcrilous experience that he had
gone through while switching
ears in the yards at n ncighboring
village.
The following is the story, given
ms nearly ~ possible in the young
brakcman's own words:
I've morning in the early part
of last December. when ] was II
middle brakeman on the local
freight running from De Rnyter
10 Easton, u crew was given
some extra switching to do in the
yards ut Hamlin. In the course OF
the work We had occasion Ia shift
n dozen empty box ear from Il
siding Just below the station to
another. known as thc"cmcrgcncy
switch" beyond the limits ol the
yard nearly n mile from the first.
/ was handling the switches ut
the time; and when this string Of
"cmptics' was pulled out on tn"
main line. | threw the lever over
and signalcd for the engine NJ the
rear to back the ears down and he.
gin the run tn the siding.
Then. after | had locked the
standard and VA stepping lcis.
ur,/y forward ia be- in Il position
~ catch the side irons an II of
the ears Ms they went 10y, my eyes
fell upon one Of my mittcns lying
in the snow on the other side of
the main track. about ten yards
away. where ! must hay" dropped
IL as came over Ia open ILL"
switch.
The train was coming on nj II
very moderate speed, rot more
than half as fast ns | could run,
and | started Ia dodge across just
ahead of il, intending In run down
the track, pick mp the mittcH, ana
then catch oil from that side.
Under the circumstances this
was n reckless thing To attempt,
for there had hcena combined
slcct and snowstorm during the
night, which had coated ia"
ground with II glazing Of Ice AMI
lhcn covered the lee with t.rrc or
Guur inches of damp, heavy snow,
making very t~rcachcrouH footing.
But ns | had gone all the morning
without the slightest mishap,
had ceased 10 think of the danger
that might lie IN an unwary step.
And now my punishment was ut
hand.
On stepping over the near rail
my right foot slipped ont sidcwise,
and down | went, right in front Of
the oncoming truck Of the first
ear, falling heavily on my side,
nearly parallel with the rails and
midway between them.
For one moment | was 81 bewil'
dcrcd with the shock of the fall
and with the terror which il in
epired that ] could not move; and
then, when ! did turn and raise
myself on my hands in an attempt
to get out of the way, | found that
il was too late. Already the for
ward axle of the truck hadreached
my feet.
/ loosed-qaickly over my shout
der ut the end of the superstruc
ture above for something which
could clutch. But there was moth
ing within reach. On came tho
truck, and in I'm instant the npper
part of my body was forced down
into the snow tight by the revoly
iD4 shaft.
Fortunately for me, this truck
was constructed with its center