ecked and that I was in a bad predicament. I felt that I had no bones
broken, and my only fear was that the wreck would take fire. My fears
were not groundless for I soon smelled smoke. I cried out as loudly as I
could, but my berth had evidently become a "sound proof booth." Then I
felt that my time had come, and had about given up all hope, and was
trying to say a prayer, when I heard the train-crew and passengers
working above me. Again I cried out and this time was heard, and soon
was taken out. God! what a night it was--raining a perfect deluge and
the wind blowing a hurricane.

I learned that our train had stopped on account of a hot driving-box on
the engine; the hind brakeman had been sent back to put out a flag, but,
imagining there was nothing coming, he had neglected to do his full
duty, and before he knew it, a fast freight came tearing around the
bend, and a tail-end collision was the result. Seeing the awful effects
of his gross neglect, the brakeman took out across the country and was
never heard of again. I fancy if he could have been found that night by
the passengers and train-crew his lot would have been anything but
pleasant. Two people in the sleeper were killed outright, and three were
injured, while the engineer and fireman of the freight were badly hurt
by jumping. I didn't get a scratch.

As I stood watching the wrecked cars burn, I heard the conductor say,
"he wished to God he had an operator with him." I told him I was an
operator and offered my services. He said there was a pocket instrument
in the baggage car, and asked me if I would cut in on the wire and tell
the despatcher of the wreck. I assented and went forward with him to the
baggage car, where he gave me a pair of pliers, a pocket instrument and
about eight feet of office wire. I asked for a pair of climbers and some
more office wire, but neither was to be had. Here, therefore, was a
pretty knotty problem. The telegraph poles were thirty feet high; how
was I to make a connection with only eight feet of wire and no climbers?
I thought for a while, and then I put the instrument in my pocket, and
undertook to "shin up" the pole as I used to do when I was a schoolboy.
After many efforts, in which I succeeded in tearing nearly all the
clothes off of me, I finally reached the lowest cross-arm, and seated
myself on it with my legs wrapped around the pole. There was only one
wire on this arm, so I had, comparatively speaking, plenty of room.