The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-07-18
A Locomotive
Engineer'S Yarn.
[Originsl.l


Sineer, I'VE were n good deal more
overworked thirty years ago than you
are now. The nearest l ever came to
! being Killed was-whcn l was young
| ster just starting in as an engineer
| from running one night into 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
| oil chew. 1T was when l 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 TomkinsvilIe everything was dsar.
ranged. and my sleep was cut consid-
| ernbly 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 met in the middle of the
night. He vas to run it regularly
| thereafter and was going down with
me. He started in the cab with me,
|
an hour he said he would go back into
the baggage car rig himself up some
sort OF bunk ana go to sleep. | told
Frank Curtis, my stokcr, that wish
Ell BOB would offer to spell me Mt the
throttle Tor awhile, as | was mighty
sleepy. Frank said he wished some.
body would spell him, for he was both
sleepy and tired.
I'VE made Il 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, aud / understood that he
proposed to take my place for awhile.
The stoker was sitting on the cab seat
pulling the bell, and. ordering him of,
l took his place, willie 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 thought
l was awake, for | heard the bell and
was conscious of ringing it. suppose
! was both asleep and awake, like sol
dicrs are sometimes in battle when
they've been marching and fighting for
Il long while without rest There must
have been some wallefuncss in me or
| couldn't have kept my narrow seat,
for we were rafting along at express
{
thcr.
'llow long I was III this condition I
don't know. but Il big lurch woke me
up. ana there on scmaphorc ahead
was the red Starting ND. | 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
viii through stations. over crossings
and bridges. past Sidctracked trains
ana there was the rcn' staring us in
the face. l jumped for the throttle ana
slowed down. then whistlcd down the
brakes, for you must know that WAS
before the day of the air brake.
glanced around for Frank and saw
| him laid out on the conl heap sound
asleep. 1 yelled ut him and woke him
| up.
'Wcll. speak OF mans marrow
freezing with horror. My whole body
was frozen with horror. My teeth chat
| tered, and ! Shivcrcd all over We
| were approaching n, and knew that
since had given up my plac" to I!nb
we had run eighteen miles. How much
of that time we had been without nm
engineer l didn't know. but | found
out that If l hadn't boon wakcnol I'M
by the lurch Just in time to catch sight
of the rod we would have been tel
Escaped into n passenger standing on
the track Mt the next station ahead
"Hut Bob Williams y what could
have happened to him? Something. of
course. Or he wouldn't have left his
post | could think of nothing unless
he had become unconscious. fallen to
the floor and rolled at IL lurch out of
the caD AS soon rs l got the train to
n stop / told Frank to 20 back to find