The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-26

a suggestion that he was deviating from
 the path of the straight and truthful
 While narrating any of his many narrow
 ing adventures. Late one summer even ing as we had wound our way down the
 little valley and lay out for several hours
 while section gang ahead repaired a burned trestle old Bill sat by the side of
 his engine, and to an attentive audience composed of the train crew and several passengers who had walked up ahead from the coach, told the following story:
 There is something about this after
 noon that makes me think of a day that
 l shall never be able to efface from my
 memory, and the thrilling events of which come back to me in my dreams with
 startling realism. It happened a number of years ago, when I was pulling a pas- senger tratn over In the Birmingham
 district. On the day I 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 going down
 the line piece to spend the day. Every time we made stop l could hear the shouts and merry laughter of those chill dren clear up to the engine, and I found myself looking back and watching then
 so happy and free from care.
 We had pulled into little station, and
 I sat there in the cab watching the chill oi ci anu WdililS lOT lIlt cODuuctOT, WHO
 had gone in after orders. We were on the main track. In fact, there was no
 siding-just. a big water tank and turn table, old and seldom used Straight
 ahead for half a mile was one of the
 steepest grades in the division. Just at the grade a branch line turned off for
 several 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, I will confess I turned per 1 fectly weak as l saw that black demon of destruction bearing down upon us, gaining speed at every second.
 l thought of the merry, laughing chill dren back in the coaches, of the mothers,
 all unconscious of the awful danger. and thought of the fearful and certain re-
 suit that seemed inevitable. Faster and faster 1t came, with roar, cloud Of black dust lowering about it. l tried to think of some way to save the train and the helpless women and children, but my brain refused to work. But there was q better man than myself at hand. My flag
 man, qui,k. active young fellow named Walker. had taken fin the frightful sit- uation at a glance, and made u wild lash l for the turntsble. Great heavens, will he he in timer l gasped. Now the car was i almost upon us. coming like a streak of lightning. swinging and roaring. with the sparks flying from the wheels. Then 1t 1 struck the turntabie. to which the fiagman had turned the switch, and we were
 saved, For the hagman quickly turned | the table around and sent the car flying | back up the grade
 | It's fact" said Bill responsibility.
 as several of the listeners turned sadly
 away. T can show you the turntable any time, for 1t is still there. If you dont t believe it. l can show you the car, too,
 on the branch to the coal mines"