Year: 1861

My business frequently leads me out of town
and as time is an object to me, | Lave got into
habit of travelling by the night mail trains


Usually, I arrange myself for sleep immedi
ately on entering the carriage, and long prac
tice at doing under difficulties permits me tc
calculate with tolerable certainty upon good
nights rest on my journey but, occasionally
the presence of a more than commonly agree
able companion will tempt me from nv custom
and lead to night vigil spent in pleasant talk
These indulgences are however rare, for | can
not afford to incur the WEAKNESS which follows
on want Of sleep very often, and | have there,
fore grown discriminating in my choice of the
man or conversation which count worthy 10
have the honor Of my wakeluness. On the last
occasion when | thus yielded to the temptation
the circumstances were somewhat peculiar, and
the story to which listened so strange that |
propose to repeat it here for the readers bene.
fit. In doing this l can scarcely hope the mar
rative will make the same impression upon him
it did on me, since | cannot surround it with
the actual incidents of the night in question
which lent it peculiar fascination; still be-
lieve, that even without the accompaniments OF
darkness and possible danger, it will prove to
possess considerable interest of its own:


| took my seat one wild, wet, and wretched
evening during this late Winter, in irst-class
carriage of the mail train leaving a London
terminus for the north. No other passenger
beside myself occupied the compartment, and
was soon wrapped up comfortably warm and
meditating a snooze, when the train started.


The whistle sounded, the blurred images of
the station lights began to move slowly past
the windows, and we were fairly off,


In few minutes l was sound asleep, and an
hour or two of perfect forgetfulness must have
ensued, when l was suddenly wakened by a
shock which sent me flying, a confused mass of
humanity and wrappers, into the arms of an
opposite passenger, whom | then saw for the
first time, and who had probably entered the
carriage at one of the intermediate stations
from town without disturbing my slumbers
For few moments the violence of the blow,
together with the confusion of ideas consequent
on being newly wakened out of q sound sleep,
left me in very nervous condition but on
presently observing that the train had come to
a standstill | became somewhat calmer, and
listened with tOlerable composure to the quiet
ing assurances Of my companion.


1T is a mere nothing" he remarked, "pro-
badly break down of some goods train before
us. Suppose we get out and hear all about it ,
We left the carriage, and soon discovered
the cause of the mishap, which was but slight
Just as my new friend supposed luggage
engine had broken down on the line, and had
sent back her guard to warn US of the fact
Our driver had seen the signals, but had not
been able qnite to pull up before reaching the
luggage vans hence we had run into the hind
most of them at speed of from three to four
miles an hour. Slow as this rate appears, it
was sufficient to pitch me, as have described,
right into my neighbor's arms, and in my half
sleeping state seriously to alarm me. Half an
hours delay put everything straight again !;
the goods engine was patched up, and we re-
sumed our seats, glad enough that matters
were no worse, and not at all sorry to escape
from the damp and bitter air outside


This slight contretemps led the way natural
ly to a general conversation on accidents, in
the course of which I found that Mr.. Berkely
(for such | learnt was my companions name)
was well acquainted with railway matters, in
which he appeared to have had considerable
experience had been not little surprised
at the violence of the shock which was com
municated to our train by collision at so
slow a speed as four miles an hour, and on my
expressing this feeling, he said:


You are quite right; no one would believe
until he has actually felt it, how apparently
tremendous blow can be given by train
moving so slowly, and l am quite sure it would
be impossible to convey the least idea of the
effects produced by collisions at high rates of
speed"


l inquired had be ever been in any accident
of the kind, and he replied


"Once but the disaster was of a somewhat
unusual character if you feel indisposed to
renew your nap, perhaps you might like to
hear the story"


Further sleep was out of the question, and
begged him to proceed. when he forthwith told
me the following facts:


/ must premise, them he began, 3" that
though now tolerably prosperous and well-to-
do person, l did not always occupy my present
position. At this moment am one of the di-
rectors Of the railway on which We are travel
ing, but commenced life considerably lower
down the social ladder. My father was an ex-
tremely clever and capable artisan, who pos
sessed besides ability, considerable prudence
and no small share of ambition.


With such qualities it was only natural
that he should rise in life; and he did So Be
fore I was 16 years Of age he held lucrative
aud responsible position in the locomotive de-
partment of one of the great north country
lines. and had he lived think he might have