Year: 1867

~ ltll


line of curves and ugly gradients, and ;


dreadful fear began to show itself in oul


iaceS-a fear which first found expression
from the gentleman have hitherto desig


mated the second merchant.


"It is my belief" he said, 1--WE are rur
! away with. "


As he said those words there was a hor
rible, breath-taklng tumble of lamps, ant
walls, and clocks, and hand-bills, and white
, faces, as we dashed into and through anoth
er station, and then Sway-away into thu
black, black night beyond After that nont


Of us doubted that our train was runaway


and also that it was running away to the


certain destruction of nearly every Tagsen


ger IN it, unless something could be done tC
arrest its headlong career, and that very


speedily.


When the keen edge of the shock had
somewhat worn off, we began to think O
what chances ard means there were of de-
, llverance, and naturally, the first TO suggest
itself was the guard" Yes, doubtless the


guard would see the danger as we had seer


1t, and would endeavor to avert the awfu
E fate which now seemed hanging over US


There was comfort in the thought but alas


1t was very short-iived, for glance down


the train sutlced to show US that the dool


OF the van was one Of those which were still


standing open.


The conviction was, therefore, forced up.


on us that the guard had been left behind.


He was not on the engine, or he would have


stopped the train; he was not on his way tc


it, or we should have been able to sec him
, by the light of the side lamps of the train,


and he was not IN the van, or his door would


have been shut, and his break vigorously
applied long ere this, and OF that there was


not the slightest indication


Ours was truly an awful position. Pass.
engers In runaway train on a black and
moonless night, and with neither engines
driver nor guard to help us!


The Middlesham and Dimouth Railway
was about twenty two miles long, and there
were four Intermediate stations-Ackridce.
burton, FELTON, and ltcom5e-7 between the
two termiui. Two Of these stations were
! passed, and we had, therefore, run about
half the distance. We had been fifteen
minutes in doing one half, and would most
| probably do the rest OF the journey in less
time than that. A miseraby short time to
save so many lives; but Something must be
done. | bad already made up my mind
that | should do it, and was prcpamng by
diyestng myself Of whatever would impede
my motions, and prevent the free nae Of
my limbs, when the first merchant looked
wonderngly at me, and asked ne what
was going TO do.


Il am going to try and stop this train, to
save my life and all our lives" 7 have to
confess that until that moment | had been
thinking only Of saving my own life, and
had scarcely given thought to the numer,
Gus passengers in thar keavily>freighted
train; but when saw the merchant loJk
Shuddcungly out into the darkness through
which We We're flying, and the hopeless look
with which he fell back, almost sobbug, in
to his corner, began to have an idea Of
the duty that was before me. and | nerved
myself to the utmost to do it.


Hitherto | have unincntionslly said very
little a bout myself, but is now necessary to
state that was an cmpIQye Of the immense
railway. concern, Of which the MddlaSham
and DilImoutb was but a branch. | have
used the sounding word en,ployc, but the
simple fact was that | was relief clerk,
and that | was at that very time on my way
to lIcombe to take the place Of the station
master, who was then seriously i'll and una.
ble to attend to his duties


! was very often called to this particular
kind of duty, and had in consequence ac-
CURED a very practical acquaintance with
the outside Of railway, | had great
deal OF knocking about from one place to
another, and had been involved in somc
four CT five different accidents, of'a more
or less serious character had luckily es-
capped from them all without injury, unless
| dignity with the name of injury the slight
bruises which | got by being jammcd in the
doorway Of an overturnEg carriage, by
gentleman who was just as anxious to be
out of it as | was.


Nothing tends so much to give q man
presence Of mind as being concerned in
few railway accidents. The first time he is,
as it were, knocked stupid; the second time
he begins to reason; but the third time he
decidedly objects, and the first chance he
has he gets off the train and is doing his
best to assist his fellow passengers. had
exceeded this stage by, as | said, two or
three accidents, and had gained consider
able stock of presence Of mind, which |
was prepared to use in the present emer-
gency


I would try to reach the engine by walk>
ing along the platforms Of the carriages.
My mind had been made up to that long
ago, for through my unonviahle experiences
OF railway accidents | had got into the un.
conscious habit OF forming q course Of &C.
tion for myself for almost any eventually
which could turn up. had beside known
of two cases Of runaway trains. In both
cases the steps Of the carriages were used as
a means Of communication with the engine
In the first case successfully, but in the sec
ond, the guard was smashed against a sig
nal post in swinging from one door handle
to the next, and the train itself went tear
ing on until it came to the terminus, when
it tore up the buffers and was finally dopos-
tied in fragments about the platform and
the first class Refreshments room. Fortu~
nately it was an empty train and late at
night, so that no one was injured except the
engine-driyer, who broke his leg in jump.
ing off when he tound he could not stop il;
and the guard, who was killed. The other
case was thct of train which seemed GERS
tain to come into collision with another at a
level crossing


The drivers put on their engine at ful
speed and jumped off. Almost by mira
Gle there was no collision, and the train went
on without any one to check it. AS it hap>
pened, the guard had seen the DANGER and
had also seen the two men jump off the en-
gine, so that, when the crossing was safely
passed, he made the best .of his way along
the steps Of the carriages to the engine,
which he reached in safety, and was able to
stop at the next station.


This was the plan | intended to put into
practice, but on looking out of the right
hand window, was staggered to find some
of the doors still flying open, and as it
would be extremely difficult, if not impossi>
bic, to pass them at the rate we were going,
it was much too hazardous to think of GO
ing that way; and the other side was equal
ly out of the question, for with the remem-
brance before me of the illfatcd guard | /
L.. -. L.A.al an-.ll nj L. ....-.