Year: 1869

| he was tue uSW supSrlntcOOcuC,
young fellow, had never seen, because
he'd just como on to the road. He was
courting . girl on the line Of the road,
afterwards found out, and had an en-.
gagement to 60 to ball with her that
night, which this lay over interfered
with.


So he says, very quickly, no they
ain't;' aud when looked surprised, he
says I'm the superintendent Of this
road, and tell you you've time to get
over this bit Of single track aud have
three minutes to spare before the down
train reaches 1t. have calculated and
I knctC.'


Tve got my printed orders, Mr.. su.
perintsnden.,' sid ! but he broke right


Never mind your printed orders, /
order you to go ahead


Well, wouldn't, and he was awfully
mad, aud swore that 1 shouldn't run u
week longer OH that road. Probably,
after he had cooled down he would new.
er have said word about the matter,
for he was clearly in the wrong. Three
minutes Is too close q shave on time
when six or seven hundred people s
lives are interested, aud regular printed
orders are to be obeyed till other regular
printed orders are issued. But l thought
at first, he would complain to the Presi.
dent, aud was bound to have the first
talk, If possible.


The President heard my story, and
sent for the Superintendent. He
: denied that he had ordered me at all, or
made any threats but said he had told
me had ten minutes to spare. So it
was question Of varacity, and began
! to think l would be sent back to my
train, aud that running y train on that
road wouldn't be my business very
long. .


All at once gentleman who had been
sitting with a newspaper held in front
of his face at the back of the office,
came forward.


MIR. President said he, Il happened
! to he standing by these two men when
they had that talk. The conductor is
right, and the other man lies. If the
train had gone on. had made up my
mind to walk back to the last station !;
the chance Of an accident seemed to be
SO great


Then the President was mad.


why, good heavens' said he, my
wife and family were OH that train. Mr..
Superintendent, go and draw your
wages to the first OF next month, aud
leave the road nOW'


But sometimes conductor is put in
such position that the rules won't
guide him. Then the responsibility is
very great. l remember once being so
placed, and thought at the time that
my hair ought to have turned white
that night with anxiety.


1t was when the Hudson river Rail.
road was just built. There was no tele-
graph along the line then, and every
thing was quite primitive compared to
what it is now. The flagmen had got
OH sort Of strike about those days, too,
SO that you trusted to luck for safe rum
ming. l was running a sort Of way
train between New York and Pough-
keepsie then. Running an express is
much pleasanter than running way
you may easily imagine.


Well, ran the train out Of New York
| IN al onA I hat fart ho Lei,
of the engine man who was famous for
the accurate way in which he would
come up to his stations. He would stop
any named car almost to a foot where
he said he would; but on this occasion
he appeared to have very poor luck. He
ran past his stations and had to back
down, and then again he would stop so
short that the engine would be in front
Of the station and the rear car an eighth
Of mile back, and it raining hard, too.
Then he'd start up again, just as the
passengers were getting out. So we
were kept running behind time all the
while. There was sort Of lightning
express came out of New York about an
hour after US, and we were gradually
working back into its time.


We got near Fishkill, and having
made an awful bad shot at . depot,
said to the baggage master: Mack has
bad luck ut making his stations to-day
Wonder what's the matter?'


The baggage e-master turned round on
me quickly and said:


Ifyou want to know what l think,
think Mack is drunk


1t can't be- says I, 4 never saw him
touch drop of liquor or smell Of it IN
any way


That's so,' said the man, but think
he's drunk to-day. He was in the cal
here little while ago, and picked uI
all the brakemen's lanterns aud slune
them in bunch at ne. l lodged, and
they went out of the car door and
smashed. Thep he chuckled and went
back to the engine


) l didn't like the idea of drunken
engineer, but had to laugh ut the fate O
the lanterns. II l had known how
J was going to groan over their fate soon