The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
WIEN No. aTo Ran AWAY.
The Fat Engineers Attempt TO Discipline
a RcfractO ry Locomotive.

The go was sure the village cutup OF
those class B engines. said the fat engineer
/ That was back in the days OF the jimmy
coal cars n handbrakes.
Il vas runnin' extra at the time, not
hsvin' been assigned to a regular engine
yet. Hen Morris, an easy goin' fellow, was
the regular man on the 270, n l always
commended 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
l was called to take his run OFT, n we were
hardly stuffed through the freight yarcs
before she started up her tact cs with ne
l just talked to her like a Dutch uncle.
Now, look here, you old s~callywag, l
says, you're dealin' with no spring chicken
thist trip. You Just get down to business
or III pound the life out Of you
An, suitin' the action to the word,
dropped her down in the corner n put 1t
TO her for all | was worth, However, she
didn't do any extra work n Jagged n hung
back all the way
Well l says to myself, when we get
goin' down Pine Hill I'll just keep the
throttle open awhile n make her go. The
weight of his train behind us will make
her perk up a bit.
-Accordin ly, when we went over the
pitch at the top OF PIN Hill l just left her
wide opsn n KEEP the steam on full head
till we were dyin' dow by Copper's Crossin.
Then / thought I'd better hut of, as the
27O would get a pretty lively clip down
the hill now N l had no hankerin' for goin
down the bank OWN to exceedin' the speed
limit on the grade.
so | showed the throttle in TO shut on
the steam. Imagine now l felt when the
27O KEEP right on exbaust!n' just IA if the
speed was all to her likin'.
"Somethin' had gone wrong in her st.am-
pipe somew here inside n the valve didn't
shut her of. So the 270 had taken the bit
in her teeth "a was goin' to see how ] liked
ridin' fast.
Here was a pretty predicament. My
engine goin' down Pine Hill under a full
head OF steam with a heavy freight train
behind her. IL wouldn't have been 30 bad
il | had not kno wn that Ras Cole was only
about five minutes ahead of me with a
train OF coal Jimmie.
Il attempted to pat the reverse lever
in the back motion, but the steam was on
such a full mead thatI couldn't bulge the
thing. Then | gave the high sign on my
whistle several times u let Ras Cole know
| was comm down the hill out Of control
n il would be wise for him ID shake a leg
OF he'd get srinica,et.
"In an almost inorsAble time we swung
around by the Gate station m what | saw
ahead made me wilt like a fat mans collar
ON a hot day. Not more than a quarter of
a mile ahead Of us was Ras Coles train.
Maybe that little caboosc Of his didn't look
as big as a summer Car1in' house.
"Ras had heard my warnin' whistle n
was dom his best. He was gainin' head
way, but he wasn't in our class. l could
figure out that we would just about meet
up with his caboose around the ten degree
curve below the Gate.
"Ras's train was now Coin' at a terrific
speed, too, n it was a question whether
either train would Keep the rails goin'
'roun' the sharp curve. | could almost
reach tbetail lights on that caboose anead.
In a second l thought we would be into
them n | would be rollin' down the en-
bankment amidst the wreckage Of twisted
iron, coal n miscellaneous freight.
Then came an awful crash m | thought
I could feel my engine goin' down the bank.
The old go had got me n got me go cd.
But my engine KEEP goin' n / could tell
by the lurchin' that she was takin' the curve
all right m true.
Il opened my eyes. The red lights of
the caboose had disappeared. In the
ra vine below me | could hear a crashin'.
rollin' sound n see dark shapes tumbin'
down.
4 realized what had happened. The
excessive speed at which the train ahead
had taken the curve caused the last fifteen
or twenty coal jinmies to jump the track
clean, takin' the caboose with them, lust
like a string of boys playin' snap the whip.
Thus when we Strengthened out on the
curve Ras's train. by losin' those fifteen
cars, had left that much space between
me n death.
The train ahead was movin' at equal
speed with me now m would probably
keep the fifteen cars distance between US.
Under her full head of steam my engine
was leapin' n boundin' over the rails, n
when she settled back from an extra severe
jolt she stopped exhaustin'.
The terrific jar had shake the valve
back on its seat again n shut of the flow
OF steam. My heart resumed its normal
beatin', as we were most down the hill
now. n l soon had her under control.
They pulled 270 in the shops after that
run, n she never came out again least
wise unless they changed her number"