The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-10-11

l hauled up to the station at Benton juno
ton, and Il more surprised lot Of railway
men you never saw than were there. The
train dispatcher came down and made for
me in way that made my heart sink, but
my attention was diverted by crowd of
newsboys yelling
"EXTRA! The PRESIDENT AND ALL
THE DIRECTORS OF THE QUAKER ROAD
KILLED. BRIDGE DYNAMITED BY STRIK-
ERs."
How my head swan thought for
sure | was crazy at last. The train dis
patcher came at me with his face white as
sheet
"Where have you brought this train
from? Have you brought it from-?'
Then he shook my hands and cried, and l
began to feel myself going.
GLOW did you ever get here, and why
didn't you ask orders?'' And | couldn't
utter word was fairly dragged from
the cab into the station master office, and
for three minutes | was more dead than
alive.
Suddenly the door opened and in walked
our President and directors, and thought
my day of Judgment had come. Then to
my amazement the President took my hand
and said something about noble man, never
would forget, irregular of course, but mas
terful and stroke of genius, saved all their
lives and caught the train, etc., which
could very indistinctly understand. But
| do know he took off his gold watch and
left it in my hands, and they all shook
hands with me and talked about official
action would be taken, gave me some pock-
etbooks, etc., and just then the Chicago
train came in and the big-wigs of both
roads got together, and in few hours a
consolidation was effected, the strike set
tied, and incidentally few millions made
by the directors. The newspaper story
that all our men were dead had helped fix
things up all around.
Well, in few weeks [ was division
superintendent; the rest of my career, you
know.
The men in the car looked at each other
with feelings Of amazement mixed with
incredulity, but never a comment. The
diapason swelled to fortissimo. Finally,
the young superintendent could bear it no
longer. ''What'3 the answer?'' he said
The President looked at him moment
blankly and suddenly seemed to recollect
something.
ooh, yes, | forgot that. You see,
the strikers, who knew about the special,
had arranged to dynamite our train on the
middle span of bridge across swollen
river not far beyond Aberdeen Junction
Well, coal train of few cars of engine
fuel came along and the strikers thought it
was cur special. In one minute that train
was at the bottom of the river, and the
station agent at the other end of the bridge.
who heard the noise, managed to see what
had happened, and wired that our train was
at the bottom of the creek, as he had every
right to suppose, and as in tact did every
one else. When that news got to New
York there was sensation. In those DAYS
there were no scare heads nor pictures, but
Wall Street circles were Jared up 20 about
noon when the contradiction of the report
finally got around. -
Still, the audience was not satisfied, and
the young superintendent was nervous.
"WellY' he said, inviting more, for the
President seemed to have ended.
ooh, yes said the latter, sI forgot.
One of the strikers weakened at the last
moment, went to Aberdeen junction, set
the switches to run us off on the Y and on
to the VANDERBILT plug line, expecting, of
course, that we would stop and investigate.
Well, as | told you, both the fireman and
l were asleep, and we were well on the
foreign road before we got awake. Other
wise we would have gone down with the
bridge. It was the only lucky thing I ever
knew to happen to an engineer while asleep
at his post. But it never seemed 10 me
likely to happen again, SO, as you all know,
| have always fought for decent hours for
trainmen.
Nobody caring to match such story as
this, all went to bed.