Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-09-17
THE ABBEY BRIDGE.

time should ever arrive when my friends find
it necessary to prove that am incapable of
managing my own affairs-and it may be ad-
duced as strong presumptiye evidence of in
sanity must confess TO great weakness
for locomotive engines. Let me strengthen
the testimony by confessing, in fact, that this
weakness extends 10 railways and all their
belongings.
OF course, my readers must understand that
| am in no way professionally connected with
locomotives. The weaknesS-if il is a weak
ness-is not that of professional enthusiasm.
Roughly speaking, indeed, it can be reduced
TO two distinct authorizations, which | here
take the opportunity of submitting to DIR.
Forbes WINSTON and the rest OF them for their
consideration. First, that have discovered
poetry where others see only the effect OF
boiling water; and, second, that Smith, the
engIne-driYer, as well as being oily, is in my
eyes encircled by halo OF romance.
Shall tin anticipation of the inquiry above
alluded tO) plead any excuse tor thus flying in
the face OF popular opinion: Shall / refer
to that perfectly legitimate type of poetic
lOcomotiOn, the British stage coach, and con
trast it with the feTrugInOus machine of the
present day, which, though pregnant with
poetic associations TO myself, others scarcely
ever take the trouble To look at, and which
is simply and austerely numbered SO? Go
ing one step further, dare L bring Smith, the
driver, as l see him standing upon the foot
plate OF No. 90, Ieisurely attempting to re-
move the surplus oil from his black hands
with a very suspicious piece Of waste, into
contrast for one moment with the time-hon-
Ored stage eOachman-with the man who,
wearing a broad brimmed, lOw-crowned hat,
a huge roll of colored handkerchief about his
neck, knowingly knOtted and tucked in at the
bosom. .enJOys great consequence and con-
siderati0n along the road; has frequent con-
ferences with the village housewives, who
look upon him as man of great trust and
dependence. who, when ne dismounts, is
generally surrounded by an admirlng throng
OF hOstlers, staOle-boys, shoe blacks, and
those numberless hangers on that infest inns
and taveTns, and run Oh errands;' and who, ac
cording TO the authority quote, " look up to
him as an oracle, treasure up his cant phras-
es, echo his opinion about horses and other
topics of jOckey-lOre, and endeavor TO imi-
tate his AIR and carriage :"
Well, | have sufficient candor TO make the
comparison, and yet must be allowed to re-
assert my prejudice in favor OF Smith, the
oily driver. Tine delusion, you see, is deep
seated, and the popular idea is not my idea.
After this confession, then, the reader will
more readily understand what it was that
took me night after mig hit, when l lived at
Hlndlesham, and at time, too, when all sane
people were asleep, 10 the Abbey Bridge, for
the Abbey Bridge carried the Great North
and Southwestern Railway over the river
Swirl, and the Great North and Southwestern
express train hurtled along tins bridge every
night at ll:30, or whereabouts and at its very
highest speed.
IL was a grand sight to witness this mid
night passage OF the express. But first of all,
let me endeavOr TO describe the Abbey Bridge.
Not that, in itself, it merits description, for
it was in truth very prosaic, utilitarian bridge
indeed; a mere fiat table of bridge, una
dorned by parapet or battlement, unless
narrow rim of iron, raised about loot from
the surface on each side, and sloping towards
the outer edge, could be dignihed by that IT,
tie, ruled by the accustomed four parallel
lines of rail, and covered as TO the rest OF its
surface with a layer of the accustomed Gin
ders.
As its situation, however, redeemed it from
being utterly contemplate, | should like to
say u word or two about that. Resting, then,
at each extremity upon the natural rock, the
bridge itself hung above the surface of the
water at a height of some eighty feet, and,
viewed from beneath, looked, 1 must confess,
but a feartully trail structure to bear the
trains safely over that seething, impetuous
river; for the Swirl, in this part of its course,
was impatient of confinement. Higher up,
where it washed the "haugn" land OF the ru-
ined abbey, it flowed wide and shallow, and
dallied i'll little backwaters amongst the peb-
bles; but here it was bound in a rocky chan
mel, which brooked no delay. There was
nothing for il but headlong rush through
the region of those memorable rocks, and the
&uriRl af n NTH will hap
however, the cliffs were not so stony-hearted
but that they could afford, in narrow lodges
here and there, precarious barber tor stunted
birch, and heather turts, and clumps of blue
berry and braeken, which did their best TO
soften the asperities of the r rugged features.
Which did their best, say. But for all that,
a look down from the dizzy height of the
bridge upon the rugged, PERCEPTIONS sides of
these cruel rocks, down to where the black
current of the river-fecked here and there
with little bergs of foam-eddled and chafed
in its narrow channel, now driven here, now
there, by the great angular boulders, which
fallen from the parent rock, pro,ruded their
jagged points above the stream-was no very
pleasant sight; least of all, for timid folk
who gazed at it from the windows of the
Great North and Southwestern garages
To the Hindlesham people, however, it was
iaNOfIle FeSOFtS anu mucn-lFe9uente0
pathway led from the town to the bridge,
passing On its way the ruins of the abbey,
from which the letter derived its name-a
pleasant, shady pathway, now down by the
margin OF the river, now high above it, but
ever within sound of the rushing water. and
ever enlivened by the sweet eompanionsbip
of the garrulous Swirl.
1t was where low stone wall only divided
this path from the railway, and close upon
the eastern end of the bridge itself, that my
we'll, if you like-my ''eccentricity" took
me night after night to watch for the
night express. / have reason to remem-
Der the place very well Standing there,
and facing the railway, / remember that
the line stretched away towards the left
hand Tor distance of some quarter of mile,
until II disappeared in a gentle curve in the
wood. To the right, after crossing the Abbey
Bridge. It continued a straight course to- |
wards Hindlesham.
The night express being an cup strain, |
approached from the left, its great cyclopean
eye hrst lighting up the wood as it rounded
the curve of which have spoken above. But
could feel its approach long before it reach |
ed that point-teel it by some mysterious
premonitions, which ] should endeavor now in