Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 275, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1916 — ENGINE TOOTS OFF. ITS OWN SCREECHER [ARTICLE]

ENGINE TOOTS OFF. ITS OWN SCREECHER

Engineer Finally Makes Startling DieCOV ery—Then It’s "Whoa! Back. Upl" * St. Louis, Mo. —When a Bluff line engine tooted for the first time in an hour at Hettick the other day, it tooted its whistle off. The engineer discovered the tooter was missing at the next station, five miles away, and had to back up to get it. The train was southbound and was spinning along at a pretty fait clip. When the engineeer pulled the string for the Hettick crossing the engine tooted so nicely he had to smile. It proved to him that he had plenty of steam. Nearly five miles further on the engineer pulled the string for another crossing. The whistle only sizzed but didn’t whistle. It was not for lack of steam. Bluff line trains always carry enough steam to run and whistle at the same time. The engineer could not make the engine whistle because it had no whistle. Whistling at crossings was necessary—made so by a railroad law that spelled safety for pedestrians and ethers. So the train was stopped. Then it backed up to where, the engineer knew the engine must have tooted its tooter off. Conductor “Dad” Jones and the passengers went whistle hunting. They found it near the tracks and it was put back where it belonged. Then the train went whistling on its way.