El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-23
The Herald's
Daily Short Story
NaakMas.~.

I and 1 need not tell you 1 kept my eyes
pretty well open. Suddenly as We
turned a rocky point 1 saw the steam
of an engine in front of us, but u
first moment L thought nothing of l.
1t was a train coming towards US. out
that is thing an engineer may see
a hundred times a day, but all at
once L realized we were on the wrong
track, that is to say on the same track
az the train coming toward US AS soon
as L got over the first shock L acted
quite cool and kept my head. I gave
series of danger blasts with the
whistle and the engineer on the other
train did the same, noticing the dan
ger at the same moment L did. 1 put
on the emergency brakes and gave
counter steam opening the throttle
wide, SO that my engine and its car
| quickly slowed down. But it was not
enough.
My fireman had already jumped for
his life, that was the best thing he
could do. Immediately afterwards
came a dreadful crash, which l seem 10
| hear even now. We had come togeth-
erI
Il saw a heavy cloud of steam and
smoke and noticed that the car with
the explosives was being pushed on
| top of the tender, across the flat car
| from which the boiler had rolled Off
In the meantime my engine began 10
start slowly the other way, as a re-
suit of my giving counter steam L
began TO think the worst was over.
when there was loud noise as from
an explosion, l had determined %
stick to my engine but now 1 remem-
| bered that the car was loaded with
explosives which might blow up any
moment, and from now on L could
think of nothing but my wife and
baby. / must save my own life for
their sake. 1 thought the engine and
cars hopelessly lost, and there was "a
ly a few seconds left TO save myself.
L saw my wife's face before me, saw
her stretch her hands towards me and
when l came to again l lay on tn
track with my leg cut off.
The passengers and crew of the
other train were trying to staunch
the flow of blood. Close by
was the engine of the other
train, but of my engine and cars
1 could see nothing. The car had
not exploded as 1 had feared, and ny
engine with its throttle wide open had
started off and was rushing ahead a.
a speed of more than 60 miles an hour.
the car with the explosives clinginS
to the tender by its front wheels while
the rear wheels were on the track.
When the people at SchluchtenfeIs
saw it speeding by they Immediately
knew what had happened. The man with
the red cap realized what he had done
but he had sufficient presence of mind
to notify the next station that they
might make preparations TO let he
runaway pass on a clear track AS
luck would have it there was no train
on the line or a terrible catastrophe
would have happened. The engine
rushed past the first station at full
speed, but gradually it lost its brea tlI-
The second station had just sent off a
passenger train, so to prevent further
accidents IT was necessary to catch
the runaway here. A switch was open
ed TO a blind track with buffers at
the end. which brought 'SSS' to
rather sudden stop. without causing
any further damage but the smashing
of the buffers.
The engine was repaired and is
again hauling fast trains, but 1 was
beyond repair, my career was ended
and I was pensioned.
When I had recovered the worst Of
it all was still to come. The case was
taken into court. The stationmast II
got two years. while l was acquitted.
but the Judge declared L had acted
like q coward. l leave it to others to
Judge, whether he was right"