The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-12-15

this moment, hadn't run down more than
far enough to get my last car on TO the gravel
track. and rs for the switch, had not seen
1t, before heard you. ] believe consider.
ed a second about l.. and | said to myself, if
this switch is set now, both trains will be al
together broke up; il leave the train, my
men viii at least be safe, and he will have
some chance of running over or through it.
Jump men-lumD for your lives!" was all
SAID; and we did, and cleared ourselves, md
that is just 1t; an" What will the Governor
be spanking about" as the Irishman saws.
The nature Of the ground was all that saved
the mail train. A little place on one side had
been cut down fer gravel, and the road laid
sideling, while on the right hand an embank-
ment went down considerable distance, and
in small pond or pool at the bottom of this
bank were the victims of our speed and
Thompson's presence Of mind, namely, the
locomotive, the dirt-cars, and the cars in
which were the horses, the later, of course,
exit intirely." Our engine struck the hind
most of the dirr-cars with the most terrific
force, and literally piled the whole train one
over the other upon the engine, and the
impetus still keeping up. with violent strain
to the right, the locomotive, and i'm fact the
whole concern, had gone over in one mass
off the road and out OF our way. "Come Mr..
Collins" cried TT ompson, "we have net half
a minute to lose; on board, on board!'A and
springlng on the machine, we were again
pulling down the road at an awful rate, to
make up for lost time. On reaching the next
station, we found that everything movable
in the front Of our engine had been carried
clean away, our lamp, cow-killer, rails aud
woodwork, but the heavy engine-head had
literally acted like cannon, ball, and swept
the whole gravel train off the track as if it had
been so many bundles Of straw.
you ,Ok pale. man." said Thompson, as
we got down from the engine in the station
house at W. Fs5 90
81 feel pale" said l.. "By the wss. It ap-
pears TO me you raised your steam when you
saw that train ahead. Did you know it " as
a train!"
81 cannot say much about that" he re-
piled, with q strange look about his eyes.
"The fact is, knew there was something
aLead that we were going thirtv-fve miles
an hour. and that to bring up was totally out
of the question. The only chance was in run
ming the thing down. have played the same
game before, and should again if my life was
hanging on it. You must do something, and
YOU must do it in short metre. But let me
tell you one thing, Mr.. Collins, it is the last
day that - red. headed Scotchman, the
plague rot him, will drive train on the
W road"
"What has happened, Charles!" asked m Y
wife of me, as entered the sitting room OF
my house in W. for | ~ ent no further
than this pIace;''you look more like a ghost
than living man" Out Of curiosity look
ed in the glass, and it was literally the f:ct,
that my cheeks were ehas'ly white, thy hair
as wet as if | had just been ducked in the riv-
er; in fact, was the exact picture Of . crim-
inal who is led out for execution.
Happened, Nary" was nv reply. 'this has
happened, have taken my last ride az spe.
ciul agent on a mai-train. if the house mu- I
be sold over our heads" And then detailed
the above circumstance.
"Horrible, horrible!" exclaimed the poor
girl, unable to keep the tears from flowing
Down her theeks, 'what an awful esca pc from
an awful death. Grant Heaven that you may
never go ngsin."
learn beyond doubt, for made every
inquiry, that Mr.. Gillies, the driver of the
gravel train, was an intemprate man, aud had
been seen hanging about the grogshops of
N--W-that afternoon. Rum was
the cause Of this near escape that / had from
a horrible death, and would say in couclu.
sion, never, on any occasion, ride on special
mail trims, and beware of strong drink as
you would raging poison ". Y. Tribune.
NCyU LnVEDTtCElIH