The Cairo bulletin., 1906-12-31
WHEN NO. 27O
RAN AWAY

"The go was sure the village cutur
OF those class b engines" said the fat
engineer rhat was back in the days
OF the jimmy coal cars n handbrakes
Il was runnin extra at the time
not hayin' been assigned to a regular
engine yet Hen Morris. an easy 90
! in fellow. was the regular man on
/ the 270, n | always contended that
he was too easy with her. Engines
are JUST like hosses, you've got to let
EN- know who's master
"One night Hen Morris was taken
sick n ! was called to take his run
| out. n we were hardly started
through the freight yards before she
started up her tactics with me- Just
talked to her like a Dutch uncle
Now, look here, you old scally-
wag, | says, you're dealin' with no
spring chicken this trip. You Just get
down to business or IN pound the life
out of YOU
AN, suitin the action to the word,
! dropped her down in the corner II
put it to her for all | was worth.
However she didn't do any extra
WORK n tagged n hung BACK an me
way.
Wen | says to myself When we
get goin down Pine Hill IN just keep
the throttle open awhile n make hef
go Inc weight OF TINS tram healhd
lis will make hpr mark m a hit
Accordingly when we went over
the pllch at the TOP OF Plhe fllil Jast
lelI heF VIDE open u Kep tne s.eal1
on luli mead M we We're lylh 40"
py Coppers Crosslh Then ! thonsht
Il better smut on as we @'V "oola
get d pretty llVely cilp down me mn
no" II had no hahkerih Tor soih
doWn the BANK OWN to eXceedih me
speed limit ON the grade
SO | showed the throttle in 10 smut
OF the steam Imagine now ! feit
when the 2i0 KEEP right ON eNhauslin
Just as If the speed was all TO her
likin,
"Somethin' had gone wrong in her
steanAipe somewhere inside n the
valve didn't shut her off SO the 20 f
had taken the bit in her teeth n was
goin to see how | liked rIdin' fast.
Here was a pretty prcdicament
My engine goin' down Pine Hill under
a full head of steam with a heavy
freight train behind her. It wouldn't
have been so bad If had not known
that Ras Cole was only about five
minutes ahead OF me with a train Of
coal jimmies.
Il attempted to put the reverse
ever in the back motion. but tbe
steam was on such lul head that
'ouldn't bulge the thing Then / gave
he high sign on my whistle several
ines to let Ras Geo L@oU | was
'omin' down the hill ont az control n
would be wise for Lin TO shake a
eg or he'd get spihca
In an almost in edible time we
wung around by the Gaze station N
What saw ahead made me wilt like
fat mans collar on hot day Nor
more than a quarter Of a mile ahead
+ us was Ras Coles train Maybe
hat little caboose Of his didn't look
3 big as a summer bourdin house {
"Ras had heard my warnin whistle
/ was dom his best He was gain
4 Roadway, but he wasn't in our
lass. ! could figure out that we would
lst about meet up with his caboose
round the ten degree curve below the
ate,
"Ras' train was now gon at ter
fc speed, too. n II was a question
neither either train would keep the
ills goin' 'roun the sharp curve /
,uld almost reach the tail lights on
vat cabOose ahead. In a second I Z
fought we would be into them n
ould be rollin' down the embauli
ent amidst the wreckaee of twisted
on coal m miscellaneous freight
Then came an awful crash ~ |
ought { could feel my engine Coin'
'wn the bank But my engine KEEP
i'm m I could tell by the lurchln' l.
at she was takin' the curve al right
true.
81 opened my eyes. The red lights
the caboose had disappeared IN q
@ ravine below me / could hear a