Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1914 — DAD LETS ’EM ROLL [ARTICLE]

DAD LETS ’EM ROLL

By E. E. JENNINGS.

The usual crowd had gathered in the C. & St. J. roundhouse at Craigville. I should say the usual "jolly” crowd, for pay day had come round once more, and one and all, from wiper t 8 passenger engineer, were killing time in various ways while waiting the arrival of the band wagon. Several yarns had been spun, and a few arguments had taken place, when Dad Allen, veteran engineer of the line, suddenly leaned forward in his chair and knocked the ashes out of on the heel of his boot. This was always a sure sign that Dad was about to open up, and invariably caused the same condition of silence and attention that are seen in court when the judge raps for order; for Dad was a rare entertainer. No engineer on the system had more close calls.

The old man reached in his pocket, produced his knife and tobacco, started to fill up his corn-cob again, and then began: "Listening to you boys kick because all freight cars ain’t equipped with air brakes yet, reminds me of a little mix-up I once had on the Kilmorna hill. "It was in the fall of 1887 that this happened, and it was in the spring of 1888 that I got my job back, after various officials had failed to discover the real reason why the ‘Chicago Bullet* ran away on the Kilmorna hill. “All the better class of engines carried Westinghouse those days, but we had a few little dinkies that did yard work and local business that the company did not think it worth while fitting up. When I came down to the roundhouse at Melton that morning, and found that my engine, the 446, had been taken to double-head the snow plow, I expressed my opinion of the locomotive foreman and other officials in no' uncertain language. "Some of the boys say there are blue streaks on the window glass yet down in the Melton roundhouse, where my breath frosted the pane, but that must have occurred when I found out that I had to take the 171 out on the ‘Bullet.’

“I knew the 171, and so did every man on the division, a little teapot that was pulled off the main line on account of poor steaming qualities, and I could see my finish trying to make time with a mill like that on the head-end of a beef train. “Well, we got the yard engine to glye us a shove out of the Melton yard, and managed to get away on the dot; and I was beginning to hope that we would get a clear run over the division when, as we were nearing Lyndon, I saw the order-board out against me. I whistled for brakes, pulled up and got orders to meet extra 42 at Sherwood, that little flagstation at the foot of Kilmorna hill. “I had figured on letting her go her own pace on that grade, but I knew that' I could never let her out with 22 cars of dressed beef behind her and stop at Sherwood; however, when we hit the top of the hill, I thought that I would let her go for half a mile and then give her the air, which would be safe enough, as I had done It dozens of times with 446; and right here Is where force of habit caused me to make the biggest bull I ever made on an engine. “When I thought It was about time to slow up I reached for the handle of the air-controller, only to discover that I had forgotten that there was no air on this engine. ThCre we were, splitting the wind at about fifty per. with nothing but hand-brakes behind us and two green brakemen in the caboose.

“I whistled brakes, threw her over, and gave her the sand, but It didn’t do much good. I looked back over the train, and could see one man crawling over the running-board of the car ahead of the dog-house on his hands and knees.

“Thinks I to myself, we’re in a deuce of a fix if Stewart isn’t in the clear at Sherwood, for by this time even air wouldn’t have held us up. When we rounded the curve near the west semaphore, I could see Stewart pulling in the siding at the east end switch, and I knew for certain that he wouldn’t get in the clear in time. “I whistled as long as I dared stay with her, and then I yelled to my fireman: ’Come on, son!* and we both lit out for thA deep snow, which, thanks be, was plentiful.

“The 171 side-swiped the fifth car ahead of Stewart’s caboose, but by good luck they had heard us whistling and had time to-hike out of the caboose and over the fence clear of the pile-up. “It took the auxiliary three days to clear up the mess; but it took the officials over three months trying to clear up the cause, which they didn't, or I wouldn’t be here with you fol* lows now."