The Washburn leader., 1916-02-25
A RAILROAD
S0MNAMBuL|ST
Curious and Nerve Wrecking
Experience of an Engineer.

6AACVAs VIC WcAS q SOOU ucul uOAc
overworked thirty years ago than you
are now. The nearest l ever came to
being killed was-when was young
ster just starting in as an engineer
from running one night into locomo-
tive standing dead on the main track.
The engineer and fireman Of the en-
gine we butted were so dead tired that
they had gone to sleep there.
"Rut I had an experience once to
beat that" he continued after biting
of a chew 1T was when was run
ming the night express on the r.. d.
and N. I usually had all the rest
needed, but at the time of the accident
at Tomkinsville everything was disar-
ranged. and my sleep was cut consid-
erably short. It was two days after
the accident that my old friend Bob
Williams told me lie was ordered to
the other end Of the line to take the
train that l met in the middle of the
night. He was to run it regularly
thereafter and was going down with
me. He started in the cab with me,
but ut the first stop we made in about
an hour he said he would 60 back into
the baggage car. rig himself up some
sort of bunk and go to sleep. told
Frank Curtis, my stoker, that wish
ed Bob would offer to spell me at the
throttle for awhile. as was mighty
sleepy. Frank said he wished some
body would spell him, for he was both
sleepy and tired.
eve made midnight stop at B., and
just as we were pulling out who should
climb into the cab but Williams. With
out word he took the throttle out of
my hand, and understood that he pro-
posed to take my place for awhile. The
stoker was sitting on the cab seat pull
ing the bell. and, ordering him of, I
took his place, while he went back into
the tender and threw himself on the
coal. kept on pulling the bell, trying
to keep awake, but it was no use. l
went to sleep, though thought l was
awake, for heard the bell and was
conscious Of ringing it. suppose I
was both asleep and awake, like SOL
diers are sometimes in battle when
they've been marching and fighting for
q long while without rest. There must
have been some wakefulness In me or
I couldn't have kept my narrow seat.
for we were rafting along at express
speed, and the road wasn't straight
either. 4.7-57s,
Glow long was in this condition /
don't know, but big lurch woke me
up, and there on a semaphore ahead
was the red.' Starting up, looked
over where Williams had been, and
what do you suppose-he wasn't there,
nor any one else. The engine was tear
ing along like mad at its own sweet
will through stations. over crossings
and bridges, past sidetracked trains,
and there was the red staring US in
the face. jumped for the throttle
and slowed down, then whistled down
the brakes, for you must know that
was before the day of the air brake.
glanced around for Frank and saw him
laid out on the coal heap sound asleep.
I yelled at him and woke him up.
"Well, speak of mans marrow
freezing with horror. My whole body
was frozen with horror. Ny teeth
chattered, and shivered all over. We
were approaching NJ. and knew that
since I had given up my place to Bob
we had run eighteen miles. How much
Of that time we had been without an
engineer I didn't know. but found
out that II hadn't been Weakened up!
by the lurch just in time to catch sight
of the red we would have been tele-
scoped into passenger standing on
the track at the next station ahead.
'But Bob Williams-what could have
happened to him? Something. Of
course. or he wouldn't have left his
post. l could think of nothing unless
he had become unconscious. fallen to
the floor and rolled at a lurch out Of
the cab. AS soon as got the train to a
stop l told Frank to go back to find out
il any one had seen or heard Of him.
Frank came back, with blank astonfsh-
ment written all over his face. and re-
ported that Williams was clddled up
on pile Of trunks in the baggage car
sound asleep.
II was obliged to wait till signaled to
go on and. leaving the cab,, went back
to the baggage car. Sure enough, there
was Williams sleeping as peacefully as
Il newborn babe.
'The first idea that came into my
head was that had dreamed he had
come back and spelled me. but knew
that If lad fallen asleep without some
one to take my place would have
done SO at my post. Besides. there was
Frank. He couldn't have gone to sleep
and dreamed the same dream as /.
was all balled up in a puzzle. i lost no
time. in waking Williams.
~ Have you been running my en-
!gineT asked.
sS y. Your engine? No. How could IT 4.
- Either you or your ghost came to
me and took. the throttle out Of my
hand.
He Sat up, looking ut me in sort of
sdaxed condition for awhile. then sud-
denly turned pale.
s. What's the natter asked.
Il s 4 wondsrif I've been up to my old
tricks. he said catching his breath!