THE SIGNALMAN ON THE MIDLAND

Temuka Leader, Issue 2093, 2 September 1890, Page 1

THE SIGNALMAN ON THE MIDLAND

There are probably about a million men. employed in Various capacities on the! Railways of Great Britain—a number large, enough if they were soldiers, to overrun Europe. B non the intelligence, fidelity, and physical condition of this Vast' army depend the lives of the multitudes who are constantly travelling by rail. Any sudden and serious disability happening to' one of them may result in a disaster which would put hundreds) of families in mourning. Accustomed as it isi to safe and swift conveyance from point to point, the public scarcely, realises this fact.! The following brief narrative, which is strictly) true, will therefore be read with interest s On 1 the Midland - Railway, jtwentytfbree miles south 'of Carlisle theri? is called Onlgaith. , Hero thera is a aignal-boxl in which Signalman; Andrew Agge is; to. be found oh duty daily.' As is the oi'ib With all other signal boxes, this' one contains the; levers and. the usual complicated electric and. mechanical contrivances for making .and) receiving signals. Mr Agge is on duty hearlyl every day,. J ind ; takerhis luncheons without; leaving his post. : He is; a sturdy iman of thirty-five, in good health, and no complaint has ever been made ragainst him ;by the Company or by. thApubUc; yet"an 'incident occurred a few" years ago that oame J riear| depriving- him 'of-hi* position >hhd For some time he had not felt well,-.the worst and. most dangerous phase of his indisposition being a kind of giddiness that would seize ‘him unexpectedly and, as he deibnbbd it, sot every thmg'tb mbvihg and'twistibg’ rontid and round.”' The doctor told* him frankly;that it was a symptom of a still.more radical complaint brought on by to much ppnfinoi meDt, : and by his'irregular habits of eating and sleepihs, and that he had better’kbatidoii his *work' Ibr a'while,‘iand! try la change of aoene. < • • •<-. • : But this; was easier said, thap done, i He had a family, to support, ihd boWdh’t afford ttio luxury 6f AVadatibhi Ho kne'irh'o other business; and oould not riik 1 thbiOishf'nis place. His work; was always done, 1 howeVer. no matter how he felt. ; pint A only fair tb say he had ,many anxious; hours .over it. His ailment, which he had discovered tb be indigestion fthdldyspep«iai ) ‘hbv^ l! set tip more alarming Simptoms. : ■ A.physician atApplebJ aisnred 'Agge that, there was beriopa,troub!e with hie; r kidneys and bladder. , *lt is,*, said the doctor to the Signalman, * the result of the condition of yobVdigestible is poisoned by' your atomach, and every organ of the body is crippled.bj it.’ j . This was.,a miserable .outlook.;lor, Agge, who went baok'.'to Odlgaith with ; small courage for his work, 1 Ho took hold; though, as well as he could, and kept it tip Ontil one morning; several Weeks afterwards. i He wa|s in his box-as, usual when of a a sherp pain shot through him. as ohough hb had been stabbbd'with a’ knife; !! Hb Wpibled ;oh the looker ixi the signal-box, k and lay there «11 the ; forenoon in i acute j distress ; and)agony.. For the time his work was a > secondary consideration. Unable to remain in' that positionVany longer,ihe laid down, add rolled on the floor . The ‘paih ih his hipfj and baop was so intense tbat be compared it-to oiit with dull knives,. ,§Bd fcot iron*. Agge :jfaf, alppe whoa the attack came, and sis’ nobody except rail Way officials 1 *&re allowed in 'the ifgnalbores.ifc wai sotte time befbtb his plight was (.discovered I .;' Finally, however, 1 the - station-master oamaiD,,the. neighbours were, summoned thfi*u|f ering map was put into 1 a* trap and taken to hie house, halfamiio awayl : There'he f wab ill for weekb, !i part of the : time .unconscious. When- the physicians .had , avowedly ■ got to the endtOf their; resources it Was agreed .thiajt the Sigpalipan’sTend was bnlyo,;b| |a very little time. , " 1 1 ' This %as the situation whop a singular thing happened. Two; or three years before, whileAgiewasfeeling.theearliapsymptods of his disorder, ho had .taken a medicine thdt had helped him ; getting betterV he'’pht the bottle aside, still ' half‘ftill, 1 ; atid forget it')

' ' r: '' r '- : ;i ■, i : NoV, a* he was almost }q a dylDgoondition hi* memory flashed npjono day, aM Us, distinctly recalled where he had put it, A *earoh ' wis .'mkde and then’ f if wad 1 found." The prostrate Signalman begafliUiing it and,' to the astonishment of neighbour* arjddootori, in a; few day* ’ wa* able .tp gattout of,,doori. We mar mention that the medicine wa* the well* known ‘preparation, Mother r;i SeiigeU* Curative' Syrup, although to' 'advertise 1 the article' i* not i the ' ohiefmotivefqr this little narrative. .A* a matter of fact, Signalman' Aege kept on dootoring himielf -with It,“aha it cured him, be itr nature whi»t' it ’may. He went back' to bis box' long ago; and* this incident' 1* printed in order; that theireadfr mav know more of the: character and experience of a large and faithful body ,of public servant*,