Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-05-29
a Locomot tive
Engineers Yarn,


Speaking of railroad mems over
work." said the veteran locomotive en-
gineer, Eve were good deal more
overworked thirty years ago than you
are now. The nearest I ever came to
being killed was-when 1 was a young
ster just starting in as an engineer
from running one night into a locomo-
tive standing dead on the main track.
The engineer and fireman of the en-
CINE we butted were so dead tired that
they had gone to sleep there right
where they were sure to obstruct the
passage Of trains.
"But had an experience once to
beat that" he continued after biting
off chew. 1T was when | was run
ming the night express on the r., D.
and N. Usually l had all the rest |
needed, but at the time of the accident
at Tomkinsville everything was disar-
ranged, and my sleep was cut consid-
erably short. 1t was two DAYS after
the accident that my old friend Bob
Williams told me he was ordered to
the other end Of the line to take the
train that l met in the middle of the
night. He was to run it regularly
thereafter and was going down with
me. He started in the cab with me,
but at the first stop we made in about
an hour he said he would go back into
the baggage car, rig himself up some
sort of bunk and go to sleep. told
Frank Curtis, my stoker, that l wish
ed Bob would offer to spell me at the
throttle for awhile, as l was mighty
sleepy. Frank said he wished some
body would spell him, for he was both
sleepy and tired.
I'VE made midnight stop at B., and
just as we were pulling out who should
climb into the cab but Williams. With
out word he took the throttle out of
my hand, and l understood that he
proposed to take my place for awhile
The stoker was sitting on the cab seat
pulling the bell, and, ordering him off,
took his place, while he went back
into the tender and threw himself on
the coal. l kept on pulling the bell,
trying to keep awake, but it was no
use. went to sleep, though l thought
I was awake, for I heard the bell and
was conscious of ringing it. suppose
was both asleep and awake, like sol
diers are sometimes in battle when
they've been marching and fighting for
long while without rest. There must
have been some wakefulness in me or
l couldn't have kept my narrow seat,
for we were rafting along at express
speed, and the road wasn't straight Ell
Their.
"How long was in this condition
don't know, but a big lurch woke me
up. and there on a semaphore ahead
was the red Starting up. looked
over where Williams had been, and
what do you suppose-he wasn't there.
nor any one else. The engine was tear
Ing along like mad at it's own sweet
will through stations. over crossings
and bridges, past sidetracked trains
and there was the red staring us in
the face. Jumped for the throttle and
slowed down, then whistled down the
brakes, for you must know that was
before the day of the air brake I
glanced around for Frank and saw
him laid odt on the coal heap sound
asleep. l yelled at him and woke him
up.
"Well, speak Of mans marrow
freezing with horror. My whole body
was frozen with horror. My teeth chat
tered, and l shivered all over. We
were approaching N, and l knew that
since l had given up my place to Bob
we had run eighteen miles, How much
Of that time we had been without an
engineer l didn't know, but l found
out that if I hadn't been Weakened up
by the lurch just in time to catch sight
Of the red we would have been tel
escoped into passenger standing on
the track at the next station ahead
"But Bob Williams - what could
have happened to him? Something of