Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-06-20
A Locomotive
Engineers Yarn.
[Original.l

gineer, I'VE were a good deal more
overworked thirty years ago than you
are now. The nearest l ever came to
being killed was-when l 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 l had an experience once to
beat that" he continued after biting
off a chew. ut was when l was run
ming the night express on the r.. ID.
and n. Usually | had all the rest |
needed, but at the time of the accident
at Tomkinsville everything was disa.
ranged. and my sleep was cut con5i
erably short. 1t was two days afte.
the accident that my old friend Bot
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 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 a bunk and so to sleep. l 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 a midnight stop at b., IND
just as we We're pulling out who should
climb into the cab but Williams. With
out a 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,
l 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 1t was no
use. l went to sleep, though l thought
1 was awake, for I heard the bell and
was conscious of ringing it. I suppose
1 was both asleep and awake, like SOL
diers are sometimes In battle when
they've been marching and fighting for
a long while without rest. There must
have been some wakefulness In me or
I couldn't have kept my narrow seat,
for VIZ were rattllng along at express
speed, and the road wasn't straight Ell
Their. s<-.sss.-s~ssa 4ssf aeSssag<F
"IIow long I was in this condition I
don't know. but a big lurch woke me
up, and there on a semaphore ahead
was 'the red Starting up, l 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. l 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. l
glanced around for Frank and saw
him laid out on the coal heap sound
asleep. ] yelled at him and woke him
up.
"Well, speak Of a mans marrow
freezing with horror. My whole body
was frozen with horror. My teeth chat
tered. and l shivered all over. We
were approaching ~. and l knew that
since I 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 l hadn't been wakened up
by the lurch just in time to catch sight
OF the red we would have been tel
escoped into a passenger standing on
the track at the next station ahead.
"But Bob Williams what could
have happened to him? Something, Of
course, or he wouldn't have left his
post. l could think of nothing unless
he had become unconscious. fallen to
the floor and rolled at a lurch out Of
the cab. AS soon as l got the train to
a stop | told Frank to go back to find
out if any Il had seen or heard of
him. Frank came back, with blank
establishment written all over his face.
and reported that Williams was cud-
died up on a pile of trunks in the bag
gage car sound asleep. 4
81 was obliged to wait till signaled
to go on and, leaving the cab. went
back to the baggage car. Sure enough.
there was Williams sleeping as peace
fully as a newborn babe.
1.-The first idea that came into my
head was that l had dreamed he had
come back and spelled me, but l knew
that IL | had fallen asleep without
some n to take my place l would
have done so at my post. Besides.
there was Frank. He wouldn't have
gone to sleep and dreamed the same
dream as l. l was all balled up in a
puzzle. l lost no time. In waking VIII
liams.
"'Have you been running my en-
gineY l asked.
"'Your engine? No. How could IT
EITHER you or your ghost came to
me and took the throttle out Of my