Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1903-08-06

made one Intellectual attempt to set
the brakes, and then had jumped tc
safety. Jimmie knew that if the IA
cars running wild behind caught uP
with the forward half of the train
there would be wreck which would
cause damage to the extent of thou
sands Of dollars and blacklist, if not
kill, the engineer responsible.
Faster and faster the telegraph poles
on the side of the track few past him
Jimmies mind was working faster
than it had ever done in his life. Hi;
orders directed him to lay over on
the siding at Benson Station for the
west bound passenger train to pass
and be knew that at any cost he must
save the passengers. Away off to the
further side of Benson he could al
ready see the faint line Of smoke com
ing up from it, and he knew that II
would arrive at Benson in just about
ten minutes. He figured that his own
train was going about a mile minute
and would reach Benson in seven min
utes. If no alternative offered itself
he resolved to put on all brakes when
he got to the foot of the hill and de-
liberately wreck his own train. There
was straight track for three miles
on the further side of Benson, and
the engineer of the passenger would
see the wreck in ample time to come
to stop.
This plan, if carried out, would
probably mean death for Jimmie, but
he analyzed the situation none the
less coolly because of that. Death Is
something that engineers get accus-
toned to facing. But if he could only
discover some way of letting Nettie
know the condition of affairs 1t
would be an easy matter for her to
throw the derailing switch after he
had passed and allow the rear half
Of the train to come to a safe haven
in the corn field beside the track.
Down at the station Nettie heard a
sound which sent her rushing out to
the platform. Away up the hill she
could see freight train coming down
at terrific rate of speed. The wbis,
tie cord seemed to be in the hands Of
lunatic, for the whistle was sound
in strange, unearthly shrieks. AS she
watched it something struck her as
being strangely familiar about the way
the whistle was sounding. All OF q
sudden it struck her that there was
method in them, and that interpreted
by the Morse code, they were saying
.'BN, BN, BN, her station call. This
was continued for a few seconds, and
then began: Broke in two. Throw
derailing switch when first section IL
past station" Three times this wal
repeated, and then the engine went
around the curve at the farther enc
of the loop and she cOnld hear the
whistle only family.
But she had heard enough, SnC
when Jimmie's engine whizzed past
the station with his white face pressed
closely against the glass at the side o.
the engine cab, he saw Nettie standing
at the switch. When the last car il
the part of the train which still re-
meined intact had passed the frog be
saw her throw all her weight on tht
switch handle and the signals told him
that every one of the cars which were
following him would pile themselves
ungracefully, but harmles8lY, on the
soft earth of the cornfeld. Bringing
his engine TO stop he ran back tc
the station and on to the siding il
ample time to let the passenger train
pass him.
The trainmaster examined Jimmie
very closely as to the necessity of pill.
ing valuable freight cars on useful ag.
ricultural land, and passed the case
up to the division superintendent. He
examined the papers carefully, made
some notes on the bottom Of them
and referred the whole matter to the
superintendent Of motive power. When
Jimmie walked out of the Office be
was full-Aedged engineer, and had
been congratulated on his presence Of
mind. And the superintendent ofmo-
tive power congratulated him month
later when the railroad lost the ser.
vices of the telegraph operator at Ben
oon Station and Tinroie oot q wife