The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-01-19
HOW JIMMIE
GOT HIS ENGINE
BY WILLIAM
wdlkER FINES
Copyright, IS0S. bg 7. c. Mcclure

among all the employees OF the Law |
renceburg division of the Y. and Y. X. |
r. that when Jimmie Kincaid got his .
engine he would also get Nettie Oliver. |
But Jimmie's chance for getting an en- !
gine in the near future did not seem !
particularly bright. He was fourth on !
the list OF firemcn of the Lawrence |
burg division. and that meant he must J
wait until four engineers died, reached
the age of limit or were fired. OF
course there was always the chance
that he would be able TO do something
to attract the attention of the superin-
tendeut OF motive power. and then he
might get his engine at any time.
In the meantime Nettie had a fairly
good position as telegrapher at Ben
son station. and Jimmie could get a
chance TO chat with her for a few
minutes every day when his train. pas
scnger No. IA. lay over on the siding
at Benson TO allow the limited mail TO
pass. When he had begun scraping
an acquaintance with Nettie some
thing over IA year before Jimmie had
used the pretext that he was thinking
OF learning telegraphy. and under her
tutorship he had picked up a fair
working knowledge OF the Morse code.
Many sly joke did the train crew
OF No. IA crack et Jimmie's suddenly
born ambition 10 learn telegraphy. but
he bore all Of these with equanimity
and said that the knowledge might
come In handy some time After
awhile II became understood among all
The men that Jlmmie's case was really
serious. and then the jokes stopped.
Even the head brakeman of No. IA.
who had reputation as a wit. forbore
To make remarks about the connection
between the Morse code and pretty
girls
Benson station Is at the foot of
Twelve Mile hill. and this hill Is re-
garded by the engineers as the worst
place on the division. The grade is SO
heavy that the track winds up the hill
In two long loops. When you get TO
the beginning OF the second loop you
are only n mile from Benson station
on straight line. but IL Is six miles
distant by the track. After he had
mastered the rudiments OF the Morse
code Jimmie would take hold OF the
whistle cord when No. Il came to the
loop on the down grade and signal
Hello to Nettie at Benson station in
sharp blasts upon the whistle. which
stood for the dots and dashes of the
code.
So things went along for year and
| Jimmle's prospects of promotion got
| little brighter. On the records of the
Office of the superintendent OF motive
power he was still merely James Kin
| raid, fourth on the list OF hremen.
with a good reputation and the pros
pect OF succeeding TO an engine in the
course OF five or six years. When
business picked up in the fall mum.
ber of extra freight trains were pnt on,
and he got his first chance to run an
| engine
| On the first trip it fell to his lot 10
take Out the third section OF freight
train No. lO6. east bound. The third
section of No. 100 was made up of thir-
| ty-One heavily loaded cars. and none OF
| these was equipped with air brakes
lAs he pulled out Of Adairville the old
! yard master swung himself up into
the cab OF the engine and said:
Il think yen pun the engine al
right. Jimmie. me bye. but for tn,
love OF the saints he careful when v,
strike the top of the hill this side OF
Benson Faith. it's heavy trait
they've given we. and II it should breai
in two going down that hill and thin
cyars with no air brakes on To then
there'll be the devil and all to pay"
Despite this warning. there was u,
) fear of u break in two" In Jimmiei
heart as he nursed his engine alon:
toward the top Of the hill on the othe
side of which lay Benson. This Is al
accident which happens very rarel!
and which not even the most expert
enced engineer can successfully guar
against Rut as be strnck the top o
! the hill and hogan To descend on IN
side toward Benson be- folt jerl
) which nearly threw him of his seal
: Looking back. he saw that the, worS
, had happened. \ coupling had snaI
D ped la the middle of the train.
For the present there was but on
: thing to do. aud that WAS 10 go dow
: grade as fast as he could. I.Ookin
!. back. he could So, that the rear bTsik,
( man. who was the only man On III
. cars which had been left behinl ha
J made one Intellectual attempt 10 set th
: brakes and then had jumped To- safrt!
; Jimmie knew that IL the fourteen cii
running wild behind cnii-ht mp wit
the forward half "f the train thee
would bc wreck which wnuld cau>
damage TO the extent of thousands {
dollars and blacklist. IL not Kill. I'll
| engineer responsible.
FdStcr aud faster the telegraph pol,
2n The side uf Ihc track den past hin
Jimmi-'s mind Vas working fast,
/. thaa u s..d ever dong la his life. II
( ORDERS directed Lin ~ Wal; on Il
u sidin. "a Henson station Tor the weS
ppunG ,R.s-,.ns.T ,rain ia pass. and !
kuvw jhai at aiiy cost hc must save II
" passenger. Away OF 10 the farth,
= side ai nen~om hr cOn,h already 81
= the faint iin. uf Sn4nk" coming up fro
n, ami hr knew that IL would arri'
y at Benson IN inst about ten minute
~ lie hgurrl THAT hi> own train was =
. Ing aioui mile minute and Won
u reach Henson ia seven minutes. II
alternative offered Itself lac resolved
- put Oh .!l brakes when he got "a Il
foot Of the hill AMI helih,i4,triy wrc
u his own train. There vas >traie
4 -. . 4.