Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 June 1894 — A RAILROADER’S STORY. [ARTICLE]

A RAILROADER’S STORY.

New York Sun. “It was in the spring of ’92 and I was in Pennsylvania, half on busiwas a peculiar rocky formation that I wanted to look up down there. I had walked ouTToThe place of my geological research, which was near East Concord, and' had pretty near tired myself out walking and climbing when a freight train came slowly along. At that time I knew every engineer on that division, and this engineer, whose name was Wind, slowed up and took me aboard. That’s where I put my foot in it. If I’d only be content to go back on my feet I wouldn’t be wearing my hair low on the right of mv forehead.” The speaker paused to lift an iron gray lock of hair from his forehead, showing a long scar. “That’s where I lighted after more flipflaps than would take a circus peformer over two dozen elephants,” he continued. “Somewhere up at the end of the Cattaragus viaduct,, you can find the timber that made the hole. But that doesn’t tell you the story. There’s a steep grade there and the train was hard to con trol. We had n’t fairly got started down that grade when Wind, looking a little grave, turned to me and said: “ ‘There’s something the matter with the air brakes. They’re not working.’ “ ‘Well, your engine will hold the train in check, all right, won’t it?' I asked. “The engineer glanced back over the train, then turned and looked ahead; we were rattling out at a pretty lively pace now and it was getting livelier every minute. The old locomotive was dancing a jig. Wind put his hand on the throttle. His fireman was scared. “ ‘She’ll hold it in check,’ he said slowly but loudly, for the engine was noisy. ‘Yes, she’s got to hold the train, or ’he broke off, ‘Cattaraugus viaduct is very far ahead,’ he added coolly. .. “This struck me unpleasantly. Just between us and the viaduct was a sharp curve on a very nasty embankment, and if we struck it at that speed—well, I didn’t like to think of that ‘if.’ But I was thinking of it very hard in spite of myself when Wind spoke again. “ ‘We’ve got to slow up before we get to that embankment,’ he shouted, the words rattling from his mouth as the cab shook and quivered. ‘There’s only one thing I’m afraid of. If we can Ah!’ “For a minute I didn’t understand just what had happened. All that I knew was that old 109, the locomotive, had bounded ahead like a live thing, and was running away from the rest of the train. I turned to Wind™ His face was all- pinched up, and his eyes looked like gimlet holes. Leaning over to me he bawled in my ear: “ ‘That’s what I was afraid of. Coupling pin jogged out. Bad business.’ “ ‘What are you going to do?’ I called back. 1 “‘Only one chance,’he answered in the same tone. ‘Got to save the train. Got to catch her on the fly and hold her, or it's a case of smash of the worst kind, and there’s men in the caboose. Jim.’ he added, turning to his fireman, ‘it’s going to be a bad business, and a turn of a hand will finish it the wrong way. You can’t do any good. If you see a chance, jump. You’d best jump, too,’ he added to me. ‘There’s water down here a bit further and you’ll come out easy.’

“Well, I didn't want to jump, and I didn’t really see why I should at first. But when the engineer began to slow up a little and 1 looked back at the pursuing train, then I saw plenty of reason. Unless I get in the road of an avalanche some time, I never expect to see anything look so big as that train did. It came thundering down on us like a tremendous living, destructive being, and my heart took up so much of my throat that I couldn’t swallow, lilven at that time I remember noticing my companion. Jim’s eyes were fairly popping out of his head, and he clung to the casing of the cab as if he purposed to take it into eternity with him. But Wind was enough to give a man new courage. The pinched look had gone out of his face, and his expression was steadfast and composed. His eyes wide and steady, were fixed on the plunging monster * behind and the hand that grasped the throttle was instinct with nervous force and readiness. There was only fifty yards between us and the cars now, and it was rapidly decreasing. Nearer and nearer it came, until it seemed as if it must leap and hurl us from the track. We were on a small embankment now. I caught a glint of water below, and wondered vaguely if one’s body could be recovered there. Then something flashed past me, there was a yell—and there were only two of us in the cab. Old 109 at the same instant leaped, forward out of danger. But two wrinkles appeared on Wind’s forehead. “Let her out too quick,” he shouted. ‘Jim jumped and shook me up. We’ll have to try her again. Hope Jim struck the water.’ “When I heard that we were going to get in the way of that mountain slide again, I felt like a man who has been invited to catch a cannon ball in his teeth. I wanted to jump if I’d only dared, but there was .no water below now; only hard ground. Moreover, I was wasting time in thinking out chances that might be tn,” last moments for prayer and re-

Dentance, and that train was coming down on us again. This time I shut my eyes and pulled myself into a heap. As nearly as I can remember I huddled up, with the idea that LwFOuld prefer To be found in one piece after the crash, rather than in disintegrated sections. Any way, I didn't-Qpeh my eyes until I felt a sharp jar, and then that heavenly spring and bound out of danger again. The train had touched us, but so quick and ready was the engineer’s pull of the throttle that he had brought us away again—and a send, the fractional part of a second too soon. His face was red with anger when I opened my eyes again and looked around me. “ ‘Too quick again, by God!” he shouted hoarsely. ‘lt’s now or never this time. I’ll stop her now or we’ll be in the ditch.’ “It was now or never without doubt," for we could see the curve ahead, and not far ahead at the sixty mile clip we were going. Wind slowed up sharp, and I shall never forget my feelings as the cars bore down on us. This time I couldn’t shut my eyes. The fascination of imminent deathheld them on the thunder ing mass behind. ‘‘ ‘Brace yourself and han/g on/ shouted Wind, as he felt for a brace with his feet and gripped the throttle so tight that the muscles stood out on his arms like cords. “ ‘Shall I jump?’ I called to him, but the words choked me as they came. He~ didn’t bear them. The~ next instant he sprang to his feet, threw the throttle wide open, and suddenly went up in the air and turned over toward the boiler as the bump came. That was all I saw. I heard a terrific crash, and felt myself whirled out of the cab and through the air. The whole universe whirled about me and then closed in, and I struck. My teeth gritted out sharp, bright flames that flashed back and forth through my head. Then came blackness. For five days I lay and watched ponderous trains, millions of miles in length, thundering down illimitable slopes, at incomprehensible speed in pursuit of a pigmy man, myself, in an insignificant locomotive. Then I recovered consciousness and shook the left hand of Engineer Wind, his right being in a sling. He had hung to his throttle and been hurled heels over head against the boiler and pretty badly battered up, but he had slowed up the train so that it made the viaduct curve successfully. As for me, I had brought up against a timber head foremost, but got off easy, with no other-injuries than my scalp wound and a slight concussion of the brain, But it left me one heritage. When I have nightmare now it’s always the same nightmare, and an overdose of Welsh rabbit is certain to bringdown that avalanche of cars on my devoted head,” The his glass,newly filled, took a thoughtful sip and set 'it - down to answer a question asked by one of the others. “The fireman? Did he get out alive?” “Oh, yes. He struck the water all right. Wasn’t even bruised; just reddened up a bit on the skin. Found out it was good fishing thare, went back the next week and caught some pickerel and has been going there ever since. Cool hand that Jimafter he got out of the engine."