The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-17
Tells of Desperate Battle in Fly
ing Locomotive.
(st. Louis Globe-Demoerat.)

ihtre Was a shriil, grating noise. a
clatter Of wheels and chains and a
honk-honk from the bridge CONNECTION
engine as the movable track bearine
its many-tonned burden of locomotive
moved into position before the only
Nnoecupied track in the roundhOuse
AS the echoes OF the protesting sounds
died away, old "29l'' began to pulse
again, and, with apparent reluctance
drew out of the orange glow OF the set
ing sun into the somber depths Of the
repair shop. Dark. indeed. was the
foundhOuse. for the machinists had
knocked of work half an hOur before
ana only two or three incandescents
cleaned here and there. II was a
Sloomy place TO leave the old machine
Tor j had become attached TO IL in my
Few weeks of service Ia the cab. and
The whole thing impressed me much
like ] suppose il would another man
20 take someone he loved into ii de-
serted hospital for treatment That
was the reason, 1 expect. why I linz
sered by its side after the engineer
Dad done, with my thoughts p&yins at
tentiOn only 10 its power and RELIABLE
lily. and never thinking. as / had the
nFst day / was assigned to il, of its
slightly antiquated cut Nut that '29l
WAS an Old girl. No. she had seen a
Few years service and had descended
10 the freight class. But she was as
good as the day she was first turned
out of the shops for work. though her
lines were different from the newer
machines with which she so often stood
1n vivid contrast.
"Well. old girl" I said. 81 guess YOU
- % for a IpVgr fVaaf YFa4.F this time
and we won't see YOU again for a few
weeks" and my hand reached ont halt
affectiOnately toward the big driver i'm
front Of me.
she's good for plenty of service yet
though" said a voice al my elbow, and
! suppose / jumped about a foot, for
hadn't been conscious OF speaking
aloud. and that anyone besides myself
was I'm the roundhouse hadn't occurred
TO me- There was some light iu The
interior, of course. for the dirt on the
windows couldn't keep out all the glow
az the setting sun. but il WASH strous
enough 20 do more than barely reveal
ghe outlines of The ShrunKen, stopped
form standing beside me, the form OF
the Waterman. Mike McTigue.
laughed over that sudden start the uu-
expected sound of his voice had caused
me. but Mike. contrary TO his usual
habit, stood silently by without seeins
The point that had excited my mirth.
The last engine I ran on. Tom.' he
continued, his voice grave i'm tone ano
suggesting a half reflective. half sen
timental mood, was old 2sl, and
know her like "A book Shell be gooc
when the best of these here birds art
ScrapirOn. and its lucky the crew Is
that navigate behind her. for there
no accident going 10 happen To VIVA
she pulls
! turned and looked at the old man
for there was something i'm the tones al
his voice that made the words Sount
queer. "Old Mike" he was dubbed. bul
ne was younger i'm point Of years thai
many men still operating on the road
Some accident had incapacitaled nm
from active service. and the berth Il
the rOundhouse had been given him as
n sort of pension
An accident is liable 10 happen Il
any engine Mike 1 answered Tht
old girls sOOd-there'S no doubt about
1hat-but she's just as liable To get hers
some day as any of the rest ol EN-.
Don't YOU believe it he responded
turning toward me almost Hereby NJ
accident can happen 10 POI. for she
protected a. 40 other engine ON th'
line Is"
stared al the old man. II Mix,
hadn't gone crazy. then 1 was mIsidk-
en-. bur before ] could frame any klh'
of a remark ne began 10 Chamber up II't
side of the cab, and, reaching aul
turned OH one 0f the electric hShJ-
hanging near. Come on up, ne sai'
10 me. as the light cleaned ana Jht
little space around Us gloWed III Vel
low: come up here, where 1 lesine,
What / know, here in the cab where II
that" / swung up in about a. tenth ol
che time il had taken Mike with ms
half-paralyzed legs 10 reach the cab
sat down on the engineer seat thu
watched him while he fingered The
throttle and machinery.
All this - new; they've put 1t III
from time TO time since i ran on heE
ne said, but / tell You it makes me Zee
mighty good 10 stand here again The
old girl isn't i'm the hospital very olter
and it's been a long time SINCE / saw
icr last. but here she is now, and III
feel like a chan WHO'S gone back 10 the
old folks al home while shes here.
guess YOU know why the road made
mo lNatChman here after l got al
twisted up this way and not S0oo
enough To operate a machine. Yes
sometimes they do treat employees like
that for such "a reason. but that WASH.
they did toward me. The newspapers
called fl the reward of a hero when il
leaked out how the road was going u
take care of me, but il always makes
1ue sore when I think about that sush
Tor iCs an a lie every word OF II. m
klad To- have the job I've got but J tel
SOU, Tom there are times when ! zee
as though I hold it on sort OF false
preteuses. though / told my story
aF.H HraHH
believe 10. and the doctors said ~ was
pure Imagination on my part.
caldwell and / were the first crew
fo ever take '29l over the road, and
can tell You. Caldwell loved this girl
next 20 his wife and baby; .29l was the
only thing in the world TO him. He
nursed hcr and Cuddled her like Ia-
Their would an infant and though
gave him the ha-ha over it al first
somehow or other il wasn't long before
] was nearly as foolish as the engineer
himself Mike he'd say TO me, after
was nearly as foolish as the engineer
himself. Mike he'd say 10 me, after
ne had gone over her parts again ano
again 20 see how iii they We're here s
one machine that's going TO have the
record of never an accident. I just fee
il somehow or the other. and IL am'i
going 10 be amy fault of mine il one
ever Suuutu LIbptl. ~ ell, noboN4
running into accidents if they caI
avoid. but I placed a kind Of reliance
on the old mans words, and it used Il
make me feel as sure as a bullet when
We were huslmg along to make M
lost time on any OF the trips. ont
night the old man failed 10 report fol
duty. and five days later he was dead
Of pneumonia. Bad. we'll, / should say
I did feel bad about the Old man,
81 a.
"A man better than l liked him. and
reaIized more fully what a good fellow