The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-04-06
AN ENGINEERS STORY.
A Midnight Ride and Narrow Escapc fro,
Aho

Midnight Ride and Narrow Escape from
the Floods,
A correspondent of the New York
World recently made trip over an
eastern railroad in an engineers cab.
lie says: At White Haven we had din.
ner, and engines and engineers were
changed. found myself here on one
of the finest locomotives ever built for
any road, and in the company of one
of the! brightest of engine.drivers.
The ride thencefOrward was one to be
remembered through lifetime.
A great flood had swept through the
valley here not many years ago. The
Lehigh, swollen with its many tribu-
tary streams and reinforced by the
giving way Of dam after dam with
their vast accumulation of lumber and
debris, soon became irresistible; and
from White Haven to Easton the
waters, rising thirty feet, ravaged
both banks. Men, women, and chill
dren were crushed and drowned with.
out other warning than the roar of a
wave that rose at the rate of thirty
feet in nine minutes. The vision of
this flood in the midst of storm and
darkness, and the echoes Of despairing
cries, were easily conjured up as the
locomotive doomed along, jangling it's
bell under the cliffs. In little while
the road quilted the valley for the
mountain and we began the long
ascent through the heart of the Penn.
sylvania wilderness to height which
Overl00ks one of the historical and ty-
pical scenes of the continent.
The grade was steep; the engineer
opened the vayle, regulated his engine
in all respects, smoked, and asked me
to step over and sit on his side of the
locomotive.
''1t's all clear sailing for few miles
now,'' said he; We shall not meet any.
thing. It's, tug up hill.''
"From 100 to l4S feet to the mile -
''That's the reason, then, that you
haveethese heavy engines .
'sYes.''2'
"Is,this grade thought by railroad
men to be very steep?'
"Well,'' said the engineer, slowly,
pretty steep-yes. You know that
in old times, in England, grades of
thirtysto forty feet to the mile were
thought to be heavy. Grades of sew.
enty to eighty feet were thought to be
impracticable. I can remember read.
ing all about it. They didn't un.
derstand then what Il grip a
heavy iron wheel has got on an iron
rail, and how much good locomotive
could pull if you only give her fuel and
time. They found it out afterward.
hear they've got in England and
France grades of 1872 to 1876 feet to the
mile, and even the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad has grades of III feet. The
grades on the Pacific railroads, and on
that Rocky mountain railroad from
Denver City to the mines, are worse
than any yet. This grade don't seem
very bad, does it! And besides Just
look at that view!
Away to the south stretched the
bleak Pennsylvania wilderness, unin-
habited save by few wood-men, the
panther, the deer and the bear. The
solitude seemed like that Of desert,
and the straining, ascending locomo.
tive like gigantic wheezy pioneer.
"There's right-down romance, or
tragedy, Or whatever you may call it, -
said the engineer; s.s.attached to this
hill. And / was the least of a hero in
it. Asthere; was a woman in it though,
Inn | must ;t tel tel you that I'm married
"AllfighE. Go ahead with the story
Zone night, about four years ago,
and just about this month, the. engi'
neer continued, 81 was coming down
hill with considering the season) a
prettyet heavy ,strain.r4At Wilkesbarre
over in the ;yalley7--which you'll soon
sea young lady had got on board Of
my engine. She wanted night-ride
and was put on by the superintendent
She was a perfect lady, and her moth
er was in one of the cars, back: To
tell the honest truth (as, l have often
said to my wife), never saw 9 more
beautiful or shocking girl. She