Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-07
A SUPERINTENDENT.S
STORY.
toriglnnil

fireman on locomotive. passed ten
years as engineer and rose 10 be gen
eral superintendent OF the road.
| Now, there is vast difference be-
tween fireman or engineer aud gen
eral superintendent. I,ut didn't get
the big head. / never considered my
SELF or any OF my family any better for
Iny sitting In Ii revolving chair tapping
q ball for some Que TO wait Oh rue than
when hnd my hand on the throttle.
and when Tom Mililsin. IL locomotive
engineer. came counting my daughter
Susie didn't turn him down hecuuse
lie drove an engine. but what want.
ed FOR Susie was man OF nerve.
strength and character.
Ton" | said you may have Susie
on one condition. We want man 10
take new passenger limited through
In the night The distance il goo miles.
and 1t must be done In FIVE hours. The
average must lie sixty miles an hour
which means us low us fifty and rs
high az seventy. DO the job. and you
4 hnUli nave susie.
Tom thought long while. then said:
II have always supposed. Mr.. Nc
Mullen. that you'd never ask n man to
do what yon would not do YOURSELF"
II wouldn't
| well. suppose we put 1t this way:
You take the train through first. IL
you succeed. take it through and get
Susie. lf you don't succeed. l get Susie
without making tho attempt myself"
The fellow knew how TO handle me.
] was very proud of my knowledge OF
railroad technique and had carried
trains often since my promotion. | at
once acceded 10 his terms.
shali never forget the experience OF
that run. Twenty minutes before train
time appeared In ovcralls at the en-
gine. which was standing ready OH the
track. tn make my own inspection OF
her aud do my own olinG. When we
pulled out felt like Il bird let out of IL
cage. | was STILL though fifteen years
Older than when left tho cub, In full
vlgor of nerve AMI muscle. | had fig-
ured carefully just what time must
make ON different pnrts OF the road and
was Ia every way prepared FOR the
trial had never driven nn engine for
any length of time over Hfty miles an
hour, and ZIP TO that point there Is no
great strain on IN engineer. did not
realize that IN average man can't
stnnd many sp,irts Mt sixty-nve miles
an hour and in some places must do
seventy.
j ! got on pretty well for the first
three hours. though had made mum
Der of my fast pnces. hut after that i
began to suffer. Looking straight
ahead continuously. seeing at the same
time things out OF the corners OF my
eyes whlz2Ing by me. made me
feel as IL something was pulling my
sight nerve out through the sockets.
Sonic OF my fastest spurts came IN
about this time. and every few minutes
I WAS frightened half out OF my senses.
The first thing to rattle me was seeing
something blacG on the track dend
ahead or me- thoughtful was the rear
end OF n train with no lights out. IL It
bAo ftCN litlC MOulu uANt Uttn ITO
time to slow ZIP. but Ii was gone before
could have done so anyway. and then
realized that II was the shadow OF IL
bird flying acrDss the headlight. This
had the effect on my. nerves OF nn es.
cnpa from 4 sudden plunge into death
had always been quick TO adopt I'M
provements on the road and had put
on electric headlights. This made all
the shadows look like big black things,
solid as masonry. The shudow OF q
/ telegraph pole east on the track as It
sometimes wonld be at Il curve ahead
looked FOR nli the world Ike the trunk
or n tree. The worst scare had was
! from something that wouldn't get out
OF the way. II was big round black
bowlder Tint appeared few hundred
feet ahead This was the only scare
put on the brakes for. As | slowed
down noticed that | got no nearer to
II. Finally stopped short went ahead
to the pilot. aud, turning there on the
glass before the headlight was a,li,tle
moth.
An hour bcfoiShi was due to arrive
had made up my mind thar. though !
could make an engine to do the trip
on schedule tine. couldn't make a
man to run her. But | Ind lot OF
pride and continued the struggle.
though my failing nerves rendered
failure almost certainty. When I
had the last forty miles 10 20 and only
thirty minutes 10 do II In | gave up and
turned the throttle over 10 my fireman.
with directions To take his time. As
left the engineer's pos, staggered TO
the seat on the other side OF the cab.
/ and IL WAS all could do TO hold on