Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-07-16
.Iunlning the Gan.

Tom Potts, a well known locomotive
engineer in England and the States,
IL The self-accredited hero Of the follow
ing wonderful Story of successful DE-
ring. Iwill narrdte it as nearly as /
can in his own words. have heard
him tell it often:
We'll, gentlemen, | say you'll think
its lie, but / can't help that; you have
asked ine to tell it; ami all | can say Is
if you'd been III nay place you'd have
seen il.
Il had been driving the Witch for
about seven months, and d sweet thing
she was. ! never was half as fond Of
an engine as was of her. She was
the kind OF machine man only gets
once in lifetime.
She made her steam quick, was easy
on fuel, started of lively, and went
! like deer. Her cylinders were six
teen-inch, her stroke twenty-one; anu
her drivers seven feet six, and she was
as kind to handle as baby.
TO see her run off with a heavy load,
/ light and gay, WAS enough to shame
the. juno Venus and 'Helen,' and
other eighteen-inch machines.
She never wanted fixing up. We
nus was always going in and out OF
the shop to be titivated, and if there's
anything I don't like, it's an engine
that all the time wants to be titivated.
She was always ready and willing for
work. Why, bless you! she was only
washed out for the sake of cleanliness
she didn't need it bit.
She was the tidiest thing / ever
seen-seeEled as though dirt wouldn't
stick to her.
We'll, what am going to tell came
of years ago, before l lett the old coun-
try, and it was one of the best railroads
single track then, though its got
three now, and four in some spots.
'Well' the witch andI were put on
the malone of the fastest trains; and
they went like sixty in them days.
THE engineer was fined shilling for
every minute he lost. He burst not
60 slow for fog, unless he wanted to
lose days pay. He had TO keep 60
ing right along, and see things before
he got in sight of 'em.
We We're running north one darkish
wintry day, and were making our best
streaks. l should reckon We were 60
ing about fifty miles an hour.
L was saying to myself, 'she's going
her prettiest,' when We Suddenly shot
ahead, as if We had been tired 0ttt of a
cannon.
Il knew wiiai that meant; we had
broke loose, V e iiadn't car behind Us.
Ehe coupling had broken between the
tender and fist coach.
How we few, to be sure! ] wis
tied the guard - hreak Up the train.
/ How we b0urGC Cd aIOrgi
L Could make oat no objects along
iside-we seemed 10 go faster and fast
er; we must have gOi Us fast Gs one huH-
dred miles an HoHF.
4 1T was straight piece of tract. fo.
some miles. ] did not shut off steam
directly we broke, for / didn't want
the train to run into US, which might
happen if they did not hear me whistle
for brakes.
TT was lucky | kept her going; for
lust as l had about enough OF such fly
! ing q man started out about six hun
dred yards before us holding red fleg.
There was something in the way, SO
I knew something must be wrong with
the track.
you might as well have tried to
stop whirlwind- as the witch in
| lIlell QioldHCCs 1lCI cpVSd was iii6ht
| ful.
There wasn't much time to think,
and as we could not stop. the faster we
went the better; so | gave her what
more steam there was. She seemed to
some 'go' in reserve for We shot past
the red dag like flash.
4 saw men standing horror-struck.
"Biu,' 1 said, quick! Get on the
coke, and see what's ahead
'Helooked, and went deadly pale,
tottered, and fell in faint.
BY this time L could see plain
enough what WAS wrong.
There was gap in the track where
bridge had gone down. ~ .4--v
you can't fancy my feelings just
then. Going to death-death, swift
and terrible-at about two miles a
ibn1te-getding nearer, nearer! i
thought of my wife and child-Dearer!
An instant .more-the gap!
f I GOD haNe mercy / -shrieked.
tNelL would you believe 1t? that
engine just cleared the gap!
1T was fifteen feet across, and about
sixty feet deep.
She Jumped that gap like stag, and
whst's more, she struck the rails all
fright on the otnef side, and kept right
along, Just as if she had not noticed the
gap! 49,.
| II stirred Bill up, and with both of
US atthe brake, we managed at last to
stop the Witch
She was on a tear. that day, but l
never dreamed she'd jump the gap
that's fact