Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-27
Wiseellansuus 8eading.
DEMANDED ENGINEERS LIFE.

| DEMANDED ENGINEERS LIFE.
Arabs Sought Vengeance For Son Who
Was Killed BY Train.
Alzakin the former traffic inspector
Of the Egyptian Delta railway, leaned
back in his chair, and drew seVerai
llong, meditative pulls on his nargileh'
4 when the Egyptian railroad was
first put through" he said' tine ma
ltiyes regarded it as a creation OF evil
lspirits. They not only disapproVed Oh
lit, but they attacked its employees. -.
TT was not unusual for q band Oh
natives to gallop UP on their s"it'
lArabian horses, coming apparently
from out of the sands Of the DESERT
and then, as they rode alonssloe .he
train. take a pot shot at US, Wheehhs
land going off at gallop the moment
1.-THE shots had been fired from theiF
long -barreled guns Their holy men
used to make incantations and cast
spells upon US just as they did on any
evil thing. and the Ignorant natives
Thought that they were fulfilling the
win of Allah II they MANNED an en-
inlovee or threw train of the tracks
"The road had been built by Francs
It held its protectorate over
tEevpt It was a narrow-gauge hne'
land It was not a particularly difflcuit
task to make trouble for the men VINO
lwere trying to keep things running
straight.
zone day q little Arab boy toooleu
out from the cover Of the palms WHICH
lined the tracks just as train came
lhlong. There wasn't chance tor MN
land there wasn't time for the engineer
leven to shut steam of before we were
Ion top of the little chap. His ratner'
liz CHANGED, was working In the palm
Igrove, and saw 1t all.
"a couple Of days later the fathef
lcalled at the office Of the general man
lager with a dozen of his clansmen, all
harmed with long rifles with inlalo
lstocks and chased barrels. 1t was the
lpolicy then to attempt to concihate
the natives, and the general manager
promptly made an offer to settle.
money damages, however, were
mot what the Arabs wanted. Iney
spurned the offer with contempt ana
demanded that the engineer be gwen
up to them 80 that they could take MS
life in place Of that Of the little boy.
lThat was a compensation that the
General manager could not concede;
In fact, he had already transferred the
engineer to another part of the hne'
fearing the natives might try to wreak
vengeance.
"The delegation finally left When
they found that the man would not De
produced, but they left with threaten
ling gestures and warnings that ARABS
never forget
"A month later was riding on a
train which was nearing Beltan, on
1.-The main line. At the junction there
was a triangle of tracks, the main line
land the Kafr Hanna section coming
together at the point. A cross track
from one to the other formed the base
of the triangle.
''The train from Kafr Hamza' 10
which my car was attached, was due
at the junction three minutes ahead
of a train on the main line. and botn
lwere due at Beltan the same NUMBER
of minutes apart. We had the right
of way, and unless we were very mucn
behind time the mainline train was
Ialways held for us. There was no tel
egraph, you know, and the length OF
time that the other train would be
held, depended largely upon the dis
elimination of the signalman at the
Junction. ..t
"I was not surprised that we were
signaled to proceed, although we were
live minutes behind time. This was
largely due to the weather, which was
Ifoggy that morning.
"You have never seen one OF our
lEgyptian fogs. They are worse than
any I have seen in this country. The
mists lie close to the ground and seem
Ito be held down by the trees where
there is any foliage. Not until the sun
gets high do they begin to swirl about
lin the air and finally ascend to the
heavens like so many white-robed
spirits.
when our engineer received the
lsignal to proceed he went on cautious
lily, as was the custom, until we passed
1.-The switch into the main line. I stood
lin the open door Of the baggage car,
Having come forward from my own
car, which was attached to the rear
Of the train.
1.-THE engine, two freight cars and
the mail car had passed the cross-over
track and the baggage car was just
passing over it when saw coming out
of the mist the engine Of the main
line train.
"It was evident that the signalman
had give us notice to proceed and
then given the other train the same
lsignal, but instead Of sending that
ahead on its own track and causing a
side swipe he had thrown the switch
that sent it on the cross lover, so that
1t was coming at us head-on.
For a moment I stood at the open
door of that car watching certain
death heading toward me. I was not
afraid; in fact, did not think at all
that I remember. The feeling that In
an instant more that engine would
crush my life out seemed to fascinate
me.
Then the guard who stood beside
me grasped me by the back of my neck
land, yelling, Jump fairly pulled me
through the door on the other side OF
the train at the same moment that he
jumped himself.
"The next thing I knew I heard
crash and a cracking Of timbers, the
car careened and, as I glanced up at
1t from where lay on the ground, l
could see it slowly toppling over on