The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-08-20
JUMPING THE GAP.
From TaylOr's Fast Life on the Modern way.l

Tom Potts, a we'll known locomo.
tive engineer in England and the
States, Is the half. accredited hero of
the following wonderful story of sue
oessful daring. l willsnarrate it as
nearly as l can in his own words. 1
have heard him tell it often:
well, gentlemen, I say you'll
think its lie, but l can't help that !;
you have asked mo to tell it; and ali
l can say is if you'd been in my place
you'd have seen it.
Il had been driving the witch
for about seven months, and sweet
thing she was. / never was half as
fond of an engine as l was of her.
She was the kind of machine q man
only gets once in a lifetime.
She made her steam quick, was
easy on fuel, started off like a deer.
Her cylinders were ls inch, her
stroke %, and her drivers seven feet
six, and she was as kind to handle
as a baby.
'To see her run off with heavy
load, light and gay, was enough to
shame the Juno Venus and 'Hel-
en-, and other ls inch machines.
She never wanted fixing up, Ven
u.s. was always going in and out of
the shop to be titivated, and if
there's anything l 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 1 ever
as though dirt wouldn't
stick to her.
well, what l am going to tell
came off years ago, before l left the
old country, and 1t was one Of the
best railroads single track, then,
though it's got three now, and four
in some spots.
wv ell, the witch aud l 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 dared
not go slow tor fog, unless he wanted
to lose his days pay. He had to
keep going right along, and see
things before he got in sight of 'em.
owe were running north one
darkest wintry day, and were making
our best streaks. | should recon we
were going about fifty miles an
hour.
Il was saying to myself, she's 60
ing her prettiest,' when we suddenly
shot ahead, as if we had been fired
out Of cannon.
Il knew what that meant. We
had broke loose, we hadn't a car be.
hind US. The cupling had broken
between the tender and the first
coach.
'How We flew to be sure l whist
led the guard to brake up the train.
How we bounded along
Il could make out no objects
alongside-we seemed to 60 faster
and faster; We must have got fast as
100 an hour.
1T was straight piece of track
for 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.
1t was lucky 1 kept her going /;
for just as we had about enough of
suoh flying, man started out about
SO yards befor us holding o red flag.
'There was nothing in the way, 80
l knew something must be wrong
with the track.
you might as well have tried to
stop whirlwind as the witch in
that distance. Her speed was fright.
full.
There wasn't much time to think,
and, as we could not stop, the faster
We went the better; so l gave her
what more steam there was. She
seemed to have some 'go' in reserve,
for We shot past the red flag like a
flash.
Il saw men standing horror struck.
Bill said, quick Get on the
coke and see what's ahead.
He looked, and went deadly pale,
tottered, and fell back in faint.
by this time l could see plain
enough what was wrong.
'There was a gap in the track
where a bridge had gone down.
'You can't imagine my feelings
just then. Going to death-death
swift and terrible-at bout two
miles a minute getting nearer,
nearer! l thought of my wife and
child-nearer! An instant more
the gap.
"God have mercy l shrieked.
well, would you believe it? that
engine just cleared that gap.
1T was fifteen feet across, and
about sixty feet deep.
a She jumped that gap like a stag,
and, what's more, she struck the rails
all right on the other side, and kept
right along just as if she had not
noticed the gap!
4 stirred Bill up, and with both of
US at the brake, we managed at last
to stop the witch
"She was on tear that day, but 1
never dreamed she'd jump the gap
that's fact