The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-13
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HYHE president and most of the di-
 rectors. along with some of the 4 chief officials of the road, were seated in the rear section of the special car, smoking and telling stories. These had wide range and were so interesting that though the hour became late, no one proposed to go to bed.
 In the course of a lull the youngest of the party, being the division superin- tendent and in a sense the territorial host if charge of the party, remarked to the handsome, gray-haired president that while all these strange tales were new to him, and dealt mostly with period before he had been born, yet he knew enough of the presidents history to un- derstand that there was no accident Of fortune which had brought him to the front.
 The president stopped smoking a very large cigar and looked into the young mans face until it was full of bushes and the heart was full of tremor. Then the president laughed and remarked:
 "I might as well tell it now" l never yet have told 1t, but I guess it won't hurt -I am the great accident in American railways"
 There was a murmur of protest in which the superintendent had the most volume.
 Not" pursued the president, 'but that I might otherwise have got along after fashion, but I am sure I would not have been here except for a combination of cir cumstances which none of you will be- lieve unless l assure you it is true and can prove it in a court of law if necessary"
 The president laughed. looked at his cigar and threw 1t away. Then he bent forward as if talking to a syndicate Of bankers concerning a very large deal.
 Before I was 30 I had run a locomo- tive for some years in the east, and do say that I considered myself equal to the best. Then came one of the strikes so frequent in tho days, and l was stranded. With lot of others l hoofed it for the west on some friend ly cabs, and landed in central Ohio, where there was a strike and engineers needed. I was always a union man, but the engineers on this road had sent men to throw us out in the east, so I had no qualms of conscience in taking a run.
 .That last expression seems easy now, but in those days it was not a run for your money but your life. I was a husky fellow and could handle re- volver or a brickbat and made things so lively that I was soon ace high with the whole push of officials on the Quaker road, as I will call it. Thus it came about that once after I had been out for 3S hours on the east and west run I was told by the master me- chanic that I must go up on a run to- ward Toledo to make a connection at Mason City.
 q kicked. Gentlemen, I swore roundly that I would not do it. l was dead for sleep and the idea of taking out a special of express, mails and pri- vate car full of directors, presidents and Wall street magnates was not to my notion. had girl back east, and she had never even heard from me since I got my job. I had thought te write her.
 But I was told that this was an ex- ceedingly important run, that the big wigs must get up to the WanderTelt line by daylight to meet a lot of Chi eago fellows who were going to put our own line on the blink.
 T had never been on this line at ah and told the master mechanic some things which are not fit for publication, but in the end I agreed to start little after midnight and try to get to Mason City to shut off the Chicago people in time for a deal that would settle a lot of things.
 ',I would not have done it at all if l had not been given a fireman who was said to know every fence corner on the road.
 q wish could tell you lot of things but that is not my fortel I simply got ready and away we flew on queer looking locomotive.
 .It was in the days when the best would be considered archaic now, but at that time we took what we could get. This old thing was better than she looked because she had been battered by the strikers until she looked like fossil dug out of the Jurassic strata
 q was young and dared anything, though I was nearly dead for sleep, and so we started with nothing but mail and express and the presidents car on behind so as to fool the strikers. They were even then afraid of the malls. My mothers ancestors came from Vermont and in late years I have been up in the old hills and followed cowpaths which now seem to me straight compared with that combination of two streaks of rust and the right of way.
 My heart was in my throat for about an hour, but the fireman kept me posted and I made fairly good for over three hours when he mentioned that we were now on a long down grade tangent and the way was certain to be clear Now I had no more idea of going to sleeT than have now, but nature got in hel work. I thought I would close my eyes for a few seconds and let the fireman look out and give me a chance. I dc not know how long they were closed I never have found out-but the first thing I knew the old engine was chug- chugging as if she were going up ar Alleghany grade and almost stopped.
 q confess I had been dreaming and when I awoke 1t took few seconds tc get my latitude. Then I looked across at the fireman and he was sound asleeI on his seat. I looked at the steam guagt and we were at about the lowest moving notch In a minute reused him up and he began to pile in coal and soon we were able to move a little better anc finally got under fast motion again.
 q was much disturbed. I wondered if he had seen me go to sleep. l presumed he had and therefore 1t was hardly up to me to be too harsh. omitted all reference tc