Show AN ENGINEERS STORY e his engine tc avoid a collision with a alwn party one of the worst scares I 1 ever had in my life was when I 1 was running on the P R road said an engineer to a st joseph mo news reporter at the union depot as a gang of eng were seated on the trucks laitine wai tine for their turn to pull out in this way it was my second or third trip I 1 do not remember which now and I 1 had the throttle wide open and working her in the last notch I 1 was pulling a mixed train and among other things was a carload car load of coal oil in barrels at that time we had no tank cars and the oil was not ol 01 is high test as at present it was between nine and ten in the evening and as dirk d irk as a stack of black cats with their eyes punched out it was a pleasant evening just cool enough to be enjoyable iwas leaning out of my cab window smoking my pipe aud keeping a bright lookout ahead the old engine was pounding aloi smoothly as though she enjoyed the run and I 1 fell to thinking of molly and the little ones at home suddenly we swung around a curve on a side hill and a headlight head light flashed in my face I 1 did not wait for a second look I 1 pulled the whistle and the old machine fa ay iy ed I 1 plugged my engine for wo had no air brakes then and I 1 went off shouting to my fireman as I 1 did so I 1 landed in a patch of blackberry bushes and have v dim recollection of seeing the car loaded with oil whiz past me I 1 could hear the whiz of the drivers in the back motion and the rattle of the brakes as the boys swung on them tor dear life I 1 shut my eyes and listened for the crash but it did not come I 1 looked up and the way car had stopped opposite me while the passengers were poking their heads out of the windows of the coach behind it asking the datterl mat terl I 1 scrambled up the fill and ran to the head of the train and there I 1 macd the headlight head light I 1 had seen was on a lawn where a summer night festival was in progress there were several head lichts there but this was placed in such a manner that the light shone full on tho track and looked exactly like an approaching pro aching engine as we swung around the curve it was many a long day before I 1 heard the last of plugging my engine to avoid a collision with a lawn party A one of tho early settlers of escoda oscoda county mich made a peculiar request ahen ho died a few years ago for somo time before his death his stock was being stolen cither by men or bears and the old mans mind was affected by his loss lie asked that ho be buried standing on the east side of a tree which on a hill overlooking his farm from this position he hoped to detect alo thieves |