By Danny Crownover
Back in the early 1890s Gadsden was startled when a wild locomotive came dashing through town going east at full speed, heading for the L. & N. bridge across the Coosa River.
The noise of the racing engine was terrific and everybody was frightened over what might happen if a wagon or buggy should be on the bridge, which was then used as a combination railroad and vehicular structure.
As it passed along Locust St. Folks rushed out to see what was going on and some of them saw that no engineer and no fireman was aboard. The engine was wild with its throttle wide open.
Doc Hughes, a fine African-American citizen, happened to be sitting on his front porch in East Gadsden, barefooted, and being a retired railroad fireman, he realized that even a single wagon or buggy might mean the destruction of the bridge with considerable loss of life.
If nothing like that happened, he instantly realized the necessity of stopping the engine. He lived close to the railroad and he ran as fast as he could to the track, just in time to swing aboard the engine.
Having been a fireman, he knew how to run the locomotive and proceeded to reverse the throttle. As it was, he was not able to bring the engine to a full stop until after it had passed Cobb City. He then calmly ran it back to town and delivered it to the trainman at the Ninth Street yards.
What occurred was that a switch engine collided with a freight train at a curve just west of twelfth street and at a point opposite the old league baseball park.
Just before the collision the engineer reversed his throttle and he and his fireman jumped to safety. The impact of the two trains caused the switch engine to start backwards and, in a few seconds, it was racing full speed back toward the business section and through it at every ounce of speed it could muster.
In climbing aboard, Doc Hughes exercised his skill and experience gained in long service for the L. & N. Railroad, but at that he was slammed around violently and for a short time he felt that he would not be able to hold on.
It was a daring deed and probably saved some lives as the locomotive had a full head of steam and might have continued all the way to Anniston.
The L. & N. Gave Doc Hughes full credit for his heroic and daring act and gave him a lifetime job which, in effect, was a pension.
Doc was a fine citizen. His word was as good as his bond and had credit in any store in Gadsden. He had many friends in the city and county.
Dock Hughes was born around 1867 in Alabama and died in East Gadsden on March 4, 1946.
Contact The Vagabond at dkcrown@bellsouth.net.
