The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-08-17
PERILS OF RACING AUTOS.
Alongside of Railways as Told by
Locomotive Engineer.


Not long ago, while riding on the
train with an engineer who pulls the
throttle on one of the fastest passen-
ger trains in Georgia, he told me the
following story:
The work of the engineer is not
what it used to be. In addition to
watching the track ahead, and feel
ing the responsibility of the passen-
gers, of the women and children
asleep in the coaches far behind,
there now has come the new danger
which more than taxes every faculty.
"Not long ago left certain large
city, sitting in the cab of Mogul en-
CINE. I had a run of IT'S miles. We
pulled out of the station on time. Be-
hind me were two day coaches, four
Pullman cars and the usual baggage
and express cars. Altogether l sup
pose there were 125 souls under my
direct care. I eased the throttle open
and we pulled out across the Saby-
rinth of tracks and woods until we
got into the open country. 1t was a
moonless night and yet there seemed
to be fair amount of light. / open
ed her up because my schedule call
ed for about 60 miles an hour. l felt
the tremor of the giant power be-
meath my hand as we spun through
the lights and shadows, over cross
ings and through small villages.
'tIt was not long before I was con-
scious of bright light occasionally
in the highway road which ran paral-
lei with the railroad tracks. took
hasty glance to the right from my
cab window and saw four men in an
automobile racing with my train
racing with death-racing for moth
ing-racing for mangled bodies pos
sibly. The driver of the automobile
I could see was determined to reach
if possible a small town ct the same
time I did, or ahead of me. In the
centre of this town there was rail-
road crossing in which the country
road crossed tho railroad tracks.
Having these passengers behind me,
some asleep, some awake, mothers
with babies, men of business with i'm
portant engagements to keep, all of
this flashed through my mind, and
I wondered where my duty lay, to
halt and hesitate with this train be-
cause some idle, reckless men sought
death in front of my engine, or to go
on and keep to my schedule. I de-
cided On the latter, and did my duty.
There is nothing more horrifying,
there is nothing that strains the
nerves of human being, there is
nothing that makes the heart stand
still quicker, there is nothing more
sorrowful, more pitiful or more agon-
izing than to realize that you have
unintentionally mangled a human be-
ing, snuffed out life. Life to me
is serious. With tons of steel CULVER
ing beneath me, going at rapid
speed, poor, frail human body
stands little chance. I kept to my
schedule. 1 approached this town.
I saw the car racing on the road. I
could not think that any man would
be so foolhardy as to attempt to cross
in front of fast passenger train
when he knew, could see and hear
and feel the train beside him, and
yet, just as my train came in sight
of the crossing, came closer to it, in
moment there was flash, and my
headlight showed the tenders of this
automobile were caught, that human
bodies flew into the air. I had my
hand on the air throttle ready to jam
the brakes to the utmost. I did this,
but it was too late. One of the men
was instantly killed. The others
were mangled, some fatally, some
less seriously. The automobile was
a wreck and l was almost a wreck,
and yet I had to go on"
This is the story of the locomotive
engineer.
Before he left he said: 81 will
tell you one thing more Each day
that I take out my train foolhardy
men and sometimes women race with
my train. They cross in front of it,
making narrow escapes. Often I see
in these cars women and children,
and 1 want to tell you right now if
ever my engine runs into a car
where there is a baby and after stop
ping my engine, find that a helpless
soul has been carried to the Great
Beyond right then is the last time I
ever will pull throttle of locomo-
tive. Right then I am DONE"