Amador ledger., 1908-09-11
A WRECK ON THE ROAD
What a Collision Means to the
Man at the Throttle.
PLIGHT OF THE ENGINEER.

The Chances He Has to axe and His
Fate should He Become Crippled In
a Smashup-There Are Some Things
Worse Than Physical Pain.
81 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 cap
ped nurse gently brushed back the
wild hairs from his forehead.
"Thank you, miss" he said, land you.
too, sir, for the good news. knew
they couldn't blame it on me- because
1t was white at Mentor. Poor Denny,
he'd tell you so, too, If he was alive.
All white!" he shouted when we came
round the curve, and ] gave him the
answer All white! and pulled her
wide open. Then we struck the emp
ties on the siding, and-well, you know
the rest" He wiped trembling hand
across his eyes as If trying to blot out
some horrible vision.
His eyes began to sparkle, and a bit
of color flashed into his pale cheeks.
'T suppose you fellows think | opened
her up and went into those boxes just
for fun" A smile fitted over his lips,
and then he grew serious. "Say, did 1t
ever come to your mind that an en-
gineer might be as anxious about his
own life as he is about the lives of
those who are riding behind him? My
wife and little one-don't you suppose
nv life counts for something with
them?
did you ever stop to think what
collision 1ike 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
to cook the meat off his bones in
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 running along ahead of 100000
pounds of steel, hardwood and brass
held to an eighty pound rail by three
quarters of an inch Of wheel fiange.
"Why, when one of those big Rus
sian battleships fired a broadside at
the japanese the whole thing
amounted only to 24,000 pounds, so the
papers say. And that 24,0O0 pounds
travelling eight miles a minute would
strike a japanese ship eight miles
away with an impact only one-tenth
of the force we hit the empties at
Mentor.
"Of course was the engineer and
they depended on me. There Is al
ways lot of fine talk about engineers
having the lives 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 life
is right there along with the others
We all take chances, the train crew
as we'll rs the passengers. only our
chances are simmer. l had one
chance in 500 of being killed, or one in
twenty-five of getting right where |
am now, but a passenger on the train
had one chance in about 100000 of
being killed and one in 100000 Of
being hurt.
II see that lot of people were killed
and whole lot more hurt. | don't
want to be grumbler, but it appears
to me that you fellows have kinder
overlooked the fact that both of my
legs are gone. OF course that might
not mean much to you, but If you
realized. rs | do, that for the rest of
my life it is going to be my job to
hobbe out into the middle of some
country road and wave a white flag as
every train goes by-if you could real
iZe what that means to an engineer
to hear the mocking toot of the whis-
tie us she comes up to the crossing and
to see the sympathetic salute of the
engineer and fireman as they go flying
BY tell you, my boy, there are some
things worse than physical pain
His eyes filed with tears. The nurse
gently wiped them away and softly
stroked back the hair.
'I wouldn't talk any more now," she
said.
"All right, miss" he replied, putting
out his hand to me. 81 always obey
IL,