The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-08-23
AFTER THE WRECK.
CRIPPLED ENGINEER TALKS OF
RESPONSIBILITY.
Few Realize Fully What Aeciden,
Means to the Man in the Cab
with Human Lives in
His Charge.

800 S'e' ~
Il just dropped in to tell you that the
coroner's jury has exonerated You
from all blame for the wreck. They
are going to hold the block tower
man"
The old engineer turned his pain
drawn face toward me. A white
capped nurse gently brushed back the
Wild hairs from his forehead
Thank you, miss" he said, "and
yen too, sir for the good news.
knew they couldn't blame il on me
because 1t was white at Mentor. Poor
Denny, he'd tell you so, too, il ne was
alive. AN whte.' he shouted when
we came round the curve, and / gave
him the answer, AN whlter and
pulled her wide open. Then we struck
the empties on the siding, and-well
you know the rest" He wiped q
trembling hand across his eyes as ii
trying to blot out some horrible
vision.
His eyes began to sparkle, and a
bit OF color flashed into his pale
cheeks, Il suppose you fellows think
| opened her up and went into those
boxes Just for fun A smile fitted
over his lips, aud then he grew seri.
Gus. Say did it ever come to your
mind that an engineer might be as
anxious about his own life as he is
about the lives of those who are rid
ing behind him? My wife and little
one-don't you suppose my life counts
for something with them?
Did you ever stop to think what
collision like that at Mentor means to
the engineer? Just try to figure your,
self in his place He rides in four
square feet Of cab room, surrounded
by a mass of levers, rods. and the like,
Ahead of him is about three miles of
boiler pipe, carrying 200 pounds Of
steam pressure and enough hot water
10 cook the meat off his bones in a
jiffy. Gathering at his back is 5000
gallons of water and 10000 pounds Of
coal. Under him is 100000 pounds Of
engine, and behind there is 100000
pounds of train. Altogether he IS
cunning along ahead OF 100000 pounds
IF steel, hardwood. and brass, held 10
an S0-pound rail by three.quarters of
an inch of wheel fiange.
cor course, | was the engineer, and
they depended on me. There is al
ways lot Of fine talk about engineers
having the livos of several hundred
passengers in their hands, That's all
very true; but YOU don't want to over.
look the fact that the engineers lie
s right there along with the others.
We all take chances, the train crew
as well as the passengers, only our
chances are simmer | had one
chance in five hundred Of being killed
or one in twenty-five Of getting right
where am now but passenger on
the train had one chance in about
three million of being killed, and one
in a hundred and thirty thousand Of
being hurt.
81 see that lot OF people were
killed and a whole lot more hurt.
ION want to be n grumblor, but II
appears to me that you fellows have
kinder overlooked the fact that both
IF my legs are gone OF course, that
might not mean much to you; but II
YOU realized, as | do, that for the rest
If my life it Is going to be my job TO
lubble out into the middle of some
country road and wave a white flag
rs every train goes by--if you could
'ealize what that means to an en-
hear the hooking toot of
he whistle as she comes mp to the
,rossing, and to see the sympathetic
salute Of the engineer and fireman as
hey go flying BY tell you my boy
here are some things worse than
physical pain"
His eyes filled with tears. The |
nurse gently wiped them away, and
softly stroked back the hair
4 wouldn't talk any more now"
ibe said
"All right, miss" he replied, putting
mt his hand to me- Il always obey
orders b. r. Winslow, in the Sun
lay Magazine.