Gilpin observer., 1914-10-15

counting the tick
ct agent. Morristown was the other
terminus, SO miles from Bristol SO the
name Knoxville & Bristol" was more
significant of the hopes and aspira-
tions of the little road than of its
achievements.
The inhabitants along the thinly set
tied mountain slopes had three never
failing sources of income-chickens
tan-bark and summer boarders.
The K. & B. fier headed out of Cory
ton each morning. and for several
years, iR-the capacity of postal clerk, l
shared it's many and varied vicssi
tudes, its joys and sorrows, failures
and triumphs, wash-outs, wrecks and
occasionally the thrill of arriving some
where on schedule time.
The engineer was abig, raw-boned,
good-natured individual named Bill Al
len. 1t is Bills story, not my own, that
l am about to tell.
1t was late one summer evening, as
we were winding our way down the
little valley and got laid out for eev-
eral hours while a section gang ahead
repaired burned trestle, that old Bill
sat by the side OF his engine and to an
attentive audience composed of the
train crew and several of the passen-
gers who had walked up ahead from
the coach told the following story:
There is something about this aft
ernoon that makes me think of day
of long ago. day that shall never be
able to efface from my memory. 1t
happened number of years ago, when
l was pulling passenger train over in
the Birmingham district.
ION the day l speak of we had on a
couple of extra coaches-Sunday
school picnic or something of the sort;
anyway, the entire train was crowded
full of women and children.
Every time we made stop could
hear the shouts and the merry laughter
of those children ap to the engine.
I'VE had pulled into little station.
and l sat there in the cab watching
the children and waiting for the con-
ductor, who had gone in after orders.
1--WE were on the main track-in
fact there was no siding; just big
water tank and turntable, old and
seldom used. Straight ahead for half
a mile was one of the steepest grades
in the division. Just at the top of the
grade branch line turned off for sew
eral miles, leading to the coal mines.
Some way, in switching the coal
cars around up there at the top of the
grade that afternoon a big, heavily
loaded car suddenly got loose and
headed down the grade straight as an
arrow for our train.
Gentlemen, l will confess / turned
perfectly weak as / saw that black
demon of destruction bearing down
upon us, gaining speed at every sec
ond!
81 thought of the merry laughing
children back in the coaches, of the
mothers all-unconscious of the awful
danger, and l thought of the fearful
and certain result that seemed newt
able.
Faster and faster it came, with a
roar, and cloud of black dust hover
ing about it! ] tried to think of some
way to save the train and the helpless
women and children, but my brain re-
fused to work.
But, gentlemen, there was better
man than myself at hand. My fagman,
a quick, active young fellow named
Walker, had taken in the frightful sit
uation at a glance, and made wild
dash for the turntable.
"'Great heavens! Will he be in
time" gasped.
Now the car was almost upon US.
coming like streak OF lightning,
swinging and roaring, and the sparks
flying from the wheels. Then it struck
the turntable, on to which the flagman
had turned the switch-and we we're
saved!
For the fagman quickly turned the
table around and sent the car flying
back up the grade!
"It's fact, gentlemen" said Bill re-
proachfully, as several of his listeners
turned sadly away. ''If you don't be-
lieve 1t. you can see the turntable any
time, for 1t is still there. can show
you the car, too, on the branch to the
coal mines"