Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-20

Pullman, because the company had
an idea that I was passenger. But
that learned me a lesson, and / made
up my mind after that to either pay
my fare when travelling or stay at
home"
"It frequently happens" said an
other engineer, that man does not
realize that he is hurt until some time
afterward BY a mistake Of orders /
was once thrown into a collision head
on with another train. 1t was a bad
smash-up. | was caught under my
engine, but was released, and when I
got up I walked several yards to the
side Of the road. l did not take an
other step for more than four months.
or course. l knew while l was pinned
beneath the engine that / must be
hurt. but the instinct, as soon as /
was released, was to walk away and
this | did subconsciously. At another
time / was in an accident, which did
not detain us very long, and I took
the train on to the end Of my run
without feeling any hurt. When I got
off at the end Of the run some one
asked me what was the matter, point
ing to the blood on my cheek. I then
found out that all my lower front
teeth had been knocked out"
'T remember once" said another
engineer, when I was on the Louis
vile and Nashville railroad, I noticed
a bareheaded man in overalls, COW
cred with coal dust and blood, sitting
beside his engine with tears running
down his face. 1 recognized him as
the engineer who had been hauled
out a few minutes before from the
wreck. Upon examination it was
found that besides being cut and
bruised very badly, one Of his arms
was broken. But when we found him
he was crying because he could not
find his new cap, which was lost in
the wreck, and begged the wreckmas-
ter to help him hunt for It,"
Down in Panama." said the little
man, 81 was working with an Irish
engineer by the name of Flanagan.
who had a niger fireman named
Brown.
ME and Flanagan and Brown had
a train on Gold Hill, which is a right
steep hill and we had one of those
dinky French engines and French
cars, no reverse lever, no air, and
Oh fro In hIIf
the dinky hand wheel on each car.
Flanagan used to turn loaded train
loose on the down grade and go rock
ing along that bumpy track, with a 10
foot embankment below. Brown
stoking like the devil and me stand
ing on the rear car as she lolloped
around on the wheels.
Flanagan was a good man to
obey signals, but the trouble was that
he never got them right. II signaled
go ahead he would usually go back,
and If I'd signal go back he'd usually
go ahead. I got into the habit of
giving him the signals backward and
we did fine.
But one day, when he had about
twice the usual load on the cars,
signaled to go ahead-full speed-to
him, thinking Of course, that he'd
back up slow, like he usually did.
But the crazy Irishman got the sig
nails right, and away he went down
that rough track toward the bottom.
II jumped when saw him throw
the throttle open. The switchman
down at the botto moi the hill saw
the train coming, and ran for the
switch meant for such emergencies,
but I saw that 1t wasn't any use, and
closed my eyes. Then I heard
Flanagan yell, Light! you black son
of a gun; light!' and 1 opened my
eyes just in time to see Brown jump
and roll over about twenty times
through the mud and gravel Of the
embankment. He stopped finally. and
after sitting up and feeling himself
he got up and began to curse good
and hard. He wasn't hurt, but he
busted his dollar watch.
Meantime tn train was still gong
down the track, but she didn't reach
the switch. She hit little curve and
sailed over the embankment, and piled
up into a mass Of wreckage. I missed
Flanagan, and 1 went down to the
wreck to haul out his mangled body.
1 didn't find it, but while l was look
ing Flanagan touched me on the
shoulder and asked me for chew
of tobacco. Said he'd lost his plug
in the wreck.
Strange how things happen he
continued, there are some engineers
that never get in a wreck, but I've
been in the cab for eight years. and
I've been in twenty-five wrecks.
Never got hurt much but once, when
they had the coffin all ready for me.
Nothing serious at that, only three
ribs broken, one Of my legs mashed
eye almost knocked out and a few
bumps about the head."-New York
Press.