The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-06-03
DAD LETS 'EM ROLL
By e, e.

luO y. u ols y
vile. 1 should say the usual Jolly
crowd, for pay day had come round
once more, and one and all, from
wiper to passenger engineer, were
killing time in various ways while
waiting the arrival Of the band wagon.
Several yarns had been spun, and a
few arguments had taken place, when
Dad Allen, veteran engineer of the
line, suddenly leaned forward In his
chair and knocked the ashes out OF
his pipe on the heel Of his boot. This
was always a sure sign that Dad was
about to open up, and invariably
caused the same condition Of silence
and attention that are seen In court
when the judge raps for order; for
Dad was a rare entertainer. No en-
gineer on the system had more close
calls.
The old man reached in his pocket,
produced his knife and tobacco, start
ed to fill up his corn-cob again, and
then began:
Listening to you boys kick because
all freight cars amt equipped with
air brakes yet, reminds me OF a little
mix.up I once had on the Kilmorna
hill.
1T was in the fall Of 1887 that this
happened, and it was in the spring OF
1883 that I got my job back, after
various officials had failed to discover
the real reason why the Chicago Bull
let ran away on the Kilmorna hill.
"All the better class Of engines car
ried Westinghouse those days, but we
had a few little dinkies that did yard
work and local business that the CON
pany did not think it worth while Mt
ting up. When I came down to the
roundhouse at Melton that morning,
and found that my engine, the 44o'
had been taken to d%ouble-head the
snow plow, 1 expressed my opinion of
the locomotive foreman and other Of
f1cials in no uncertain language.
Some Of the boys say there are
blue streaks on the window glass yet
down in tho Melton roundhouse. where
my breath frosted the pane, bat that
must have occurred when I found out
that I had to take the I'll out on the
Bullet
II knew the III, and 80 did every
man on the division, a little teapot
that was pulled off the main line on
account Of poor steaming qualities,
and l could see my finish trying to
make time with a mill like that on
the head-end of a beef train.
well we got the yard engine to
give US a shove out Of the Melton
yard, and managed to get away on
the dot; and 1 was beginning to hope
that we would get a clear run over the
division when, as we we're nearing
Lyndon, 1 saw the order-board out
against me. I whistled for brakes,
pulled up and got orders to meet ex-
ira AZ at Sherwood, that little flag
station at the foot Of Kilmorna hill.
Il had figured On letting her go her
own pace on that grade, but I knew
that could never let her out with
% cars Of dressed beef behind her and
stop at Sherwood; however, when we
hit the top Of the hill, I thought that
l would let her 90 for half a mile and
then give her the air, which would be
safe enough, as I had done 1t dozens
of times with 446; and right here Is
where force Of habit caused me to
make the biggest bull I ever made on
an engine.
when I thought it was about time
to slow up I reached for the handle
of the air-controller, only to discover
that I had forgotten that there was
no air on this engine. There we were,
splitting the wind at about fifty per,
with nothing but hand-brakes behind
US and two green ,brakemen in the
caboose.
81 whistled brakes, threw her over.
and gave her the sand, but 1t didn't do
much good. 1 looked back over the
train, and could see one man crawling
over the running-board OF the car
ahead Of the dog-house on his hands
and knees.
Thinks I to myself, we're In a
deuce Of a fix If Stewart isn't IN the
clear at Sherwood, for by this time
even air wouldn't have held US up.
When we rounded the curve near the
west semaphore, I could see Stewart
pulling in the siding at the east end
switch, and 7 knew for certain that
he wouldn't get in the clear In time.
Il whistled as long as I dared stay
with her, and then I yelled to my fire.
man: Come on, son. and we both
lit out for the deep snow, which,
thanks be, was plentiful.
The III side-swiped the fifth car
ahead Of Stewards caboose, but by
good luck they had heard us whistling
and had time to hike out of the ca
boose and over the fence clear Of the
pile-up.
1T took the auxiliary three days to
clear up the mess; but 1t took the Of
ficials over three months trying to
clear up the cause, which they didn't,
or I wouldn't be here with you fell