The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-05-13
Heed Of Three Men TO al Engine


Central railroad of New Jersey tracks,
find Endorsement among railroad en-
ployes. They cannot be outspoken
publicly on question which, though
it affects them directly, is considered
by general managers and division
superintendent to be none of their
business, but among themselves they
point out that almost every disastrous
collision in recent years in all human
probability would have been ayerted
had the engineer had an assistant
lookout.
Enginemen, brakemen, and conduc-
tors, homeward bound after their
runs, tell tales in the smoker Of Incl
dents of railroading that, had they
been witnessed by passengers, would
have induced nervous prostra tion.
That familiarity with ever-present
peril which breeds contempt in the
most cautious of engineers is instanc-
ed by these men es the chief argument
in favor of the plan Of having an as
sistant engineer, though the danger of
the man in control of the rushing ma
chine falling dead or going insane is
given due weight. These latter con-
tingencics, they say, are exceptional
the carelessness resulting from long
association with danger is ever pres
ent.
A story illustrative of another
source Of peril, fortunately rare, was
told the day after the recent wreck. It
dealt with one Of the most popular en-
gineers on a road leading from New
York. He was to take out special
GU which were several members of the
board of directors. The man was OBJ
viously "under the weather." and fell
as he descended from his cab to make
a last inspection of the slides and
rods. For an instant he lay as if para
lyzed, with his legs between the driv-
ers, but only for an instant. The
fireman, who had been peering appre-
hensively up at him from the after
deck, was at his side with single
bound, and struck him violent blow
across The face with his greasy cap.
"Make out we're skylarking," he
said, "or our folks'll notice you and
" Ill lose your job"
Quickly he raised his mate to his
feet. Then he boosted him, laughing
and striking back, up to,the footboard.
Then he jammed him on his seat at
the lever, struck him one final blow,
and agile as a cat climbed back to his
own place with broad grin on his
face. None of the witnesses who un-
derstood the incident interfered, and
two minutes later, when the air whis-
tie sounded, the special rolled away
on her course to the mountains and
the forests as though controlled by
the clearest brain and stendiest hand
on the whole long line.
t H .
The engineer is dead. He did not
die that day, nor did any Of those
who rode behind or before him suffer
as result Of his condition. But it
was long chance.
They told one story on one train Of
an engineey on another line who was
running at q 5O-senond clip through o
10 mile stretch Of forest with more
than dozen crowded cars when his
pipe went out. His racing locomo-
tive, 80 the tale ran, was one of the
newest type, built to meet the re-
quirements Of modern traffic. Her
firebox was the full width Of the
widest sleeping car, SO that the great.
est volume and pressure Of steam could
be developed. This left no room for
the Grew to stand beside it. So the
driver stands oil alone in his cab just
back of the roaring stack, whore his
view of the track is Of the best, and
his stokers-for there often must be
more than protected by massive
steel wind shield, leap from tender to
furnace on Z narrow firing deck set
low down at the rear of the whole
machine.
This engineer struck several match
es, but he couldn't hold the fire.
Then, SO the story went, he climbed
out Of his cab, back along the narrow
running board, through the wind
shield to the firing deck, lit his pipe,
spoke to his subordinate, and then;
slowly winded his way back to where
he belonged. A casual observer with
frightened face glued to the pane Of
the forward car, did not compute the
time all this took, for he was glad TO
know that he was alive. This story
8 t- u - 49, 80. L.