The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-07-04
MISCELLANY.
Jumping the Gap.

Tom Potts, a well-known locomotive
engineer in England and the States, is the
self-accredited hero of the following won
derfal story of successful daring. I will
narrate it as nearly as | can in his own
words. have heard him tell it often:
'sWell, gentlemen, I'll say you'll think
it's lie, but can't help that; you have
asked me to tell it; and all | can say is
if you'd been in my place you'd have
seen it.
s'I had been driving the Witch for
about seven months, and 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 a life
time.
ssShe made her steam quick, was easy
on fuel, started off lively, and went like a
deer. Her cylinders were sixteen-inch,
her stroke twenty-tw0; and her drivers
seven feet six, and she was as kind to han
die as baby.
ssTo see her run off with heavy load,
light and gay, was enough to shame the
juno Venus and Helen, and other
eighteen-inch machines.
'sShe never wanted fixing up. Venus
was always going in and out of the shop
to be titivated, and if there's anything |
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 a
bit.
sShe was the tidiest thing [ ever seen
seemed as though dirt wouldn't stick to
her.
sWell, what I'm going to tell came off
years ago, before left the old country,
and it was one of the best railroads-sin-
gle track then, though it's got three now,
and four in some spots.
"Well, the witch and were put on
the malone of the fastest trains; and
they went like sixty in them days.
"The engineer was fined a shilling for
every minute he lost. He burst not go
slow for 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.
ave were running north one darkish
wintry day, and were making our best
streaks. l should reckon we were going
about fifty miles an hour.
81 was saying to myself, she's going
her prettiest' when we suddenly shot
ahead, as if we had been fired out of a
cannon.
81 knew what that meant; we had
broke loose, we hadn't a car behind us.
The coupling had broken; between tender
and first coach.
show. we flew. to be sure! whistled
the guard to brake up the train. How we
bounded along
81 could make out no objects alongside
we seemed to get faster and faster we
must have got as fast as one hundred mates
an hour.
sit was straight piece of track for
some miles. 1did net shut off steam di-
rectly we broke, for didn't want the train
to run into us, which might happen If they
did not hear.me whistle for brakes.
''It was lucky kept her going; for just
as had had about enough OF such Tying
man started out about six hundred yards
before us holding a red flag.
"There was nothing in the way, so
knew something must be wrong with the
rack.
"You might as well have tried to stop
whirlwind as the 'Witchsin that distance.
Her speed was frightful
"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 have some go
in reserve. for we shot past the red flag
Ike flash.
Il saw men standing horror-struck.
ssBill.' said, quick Get on the coke,
and see what's ahead ~
s'He looked, and went deadly pale, tot
tered, and fl II back in a faint.
"By this time could see plain enough
what was wrong.
There was a gap in the track where a
bridge had gone down.
You can't fancy my feelings just then.
Going to death-death, swift and terrible
at about two miles manufacturing
nearer. nearer! / thought of my wife and
chlld-nearer! Aninstant more-the gap!
.s.God have mercy shrieked.
tsWell, would you believe it! that en-
o;na insf cleared that raDl