Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-06

as an engineer on the West Point
road. In all that time [ have never
had a passenger killed behind me
and have never delayed another
train.
eyes. I've had some wrecks, but
was always lucky. In August,
1884, 1 had one of the worst col
lisions that ever happened. was
coming into Atlanta. At Oakland
Junction, few miles out of the
city. 1 rounded a curve and saw an
engine coming toward me. 1 think
it was Mcdonald at the throttle.
There had been a slight change OF
schedule put into effect that day,
and it threw us together. Both of
us were running fast, and we We're
right into each other before we
knew it. n
eve Just had time to slam on the
brakes and jump. / landed head
foremost in the open end of a sewer
pipe. 1 was driven into the mud
I'D TO my neck band. Henry Grady
and Emory Speer were passengers
on my train, and they were the first
ones to get to me. They pulled me
out of the mud and a lady washed
nv face. Mr.. Grady told negro
porter to get mattress out OF the
sleeping car to put me on. The ne
gro said he was afraid l would get
blood on the mattress. L don't give
a damn what he gets on it-you go
bring that Mattress said Mr.. Grady,
and the negro went and got it.
ct was laid up a few days and
went back to work, thinking [ was
all right. But my back got stiff and
sore, and I began to draw over, and
couldn't straighten my back, and
thew examined me and found that
had conclusion of the spine. The
company sent me to hospital IN
Washington. L stayed there several
weeks before 1 got well.
"No, there wasn't single pas
senger on my train killed in that col
lision, though the express messen'
ger was killed when he jumped. lie
landed on something hard and broke
his neck.
Engine Turns SOmersault
About twenty five years ago L
had a bad derailment six miles
west of West Point. A bolt or
something fell out Of the engine
and threw it from the track on an
embankment. The engine left the
track and turned a somersault, and
the whole train turned over. But
for a wonder, not passenger was
killed.
81 was born in May, 1S49. When
[ was fifteen years old L enlisted
IN the Confederate army and served
until the end of the war. l work
ed around machine shops and learn
ed to run an engine. In 1859 Col
onel L. P. Grant employed me as
an engineer on the Atlanta and
West Point. He was superintendent
OF the road. He was a fine man to
work for. He promoted me right
along.
give been here on this road ever
since, running an engine most OF
the time. They made me road fore
man of locomotives and L held the
lob a while, but didn't like it as
well as running an engine, so
asked to be put back on run, and
they put me back.
when I first started we had lit
! tie wood burning engines with a
| smoke stack as big as a barrel. The
cylinders were about as big as thai
little air pump you see up there or
| the side of this engine. The cylln
ders, I remember, were ~ inches
| in diameter and 20 inches long
The first time we got a 16-lncf
cylinder, and before we'd run it out
there came along little snow, ant
! the superintendent wouldn't let Il
| go out. He was afraid the engine
was so big it could never be. go
back on the rails if it slipped Off.
mo, I never pulled many freight
trains. I've been a passenger engl
neer nearly all the time. In thu
old days, we did not have trair
numbers. The passenger train!
were known as the Up Day Train
and the Down Day Train. The
engines had names instead OF mum
bers."
Sc Miles in 81 Minutes
Mr. McWaters was asked what
was the fastest time he ever made
at the throttle.
From Opelika to Montgomery,
! he said. "The distance is Sc miles