River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-04-06
AN ENGINFER's STORY.
Midnight Ride and Narrow Escape ftor
the Floods.

- ~ LINO IN - En- = > Olh l..
A Midnight Ride and Narrow Escape from
the Floods.
A correspondent of the New York
World recently made a trip over an
eastern railroad in an engineers cab.
lie says: At White Have ,'s hal din.
neT, and engines and engineers were
changed. found myself here on one
of the finest locomotives ever built for
any road, ana In the company of one
of the brightest of engine.driveTs.
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
wave that rose at the rate of thirty
feet II nine minutes. The vision of
this BOD in he midst of storm and
darkness, AM 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 quitteC the valley for the
mountain and we began the long
ascent through the heart of the Penn.
Sylyanla wilderness to a height which
overloOks one of the historical and ty-
plcal scenes of the continent.
The grade was steep; the engineer
opened the yavle, regulated his engine
III all respects, smoked. and asked me
to step over and sit On his side of the
locomotive.
at s all clear sailing for few miles
now, said he, we shall not meetany-
thing. It's a tug up ILL.,"
From 100 to l4S feet to the mile"
"That S the reason, then, that YOU
have these heavy engines ;"
eyes.
Is this grade thought by railroad
men to he very steep r.
Well, said the engineer. slowly.
pretty steep-yes. Yo0 know that
III old times. in England. grades of
thirty to forty feet TO the mile were
thought to he heavy. Grades of sew
enty to eighty feet were thought to he
impTactiCable. ! can remember read.
ing all about it. Th0 didn't I'M
delBtand then what grip
heavy iron wheel has got on an iron
rail, and how muck good locomotive
could pull If you only give her fuel and
time. They found it ont afterward
hear they've got in England and
France grades o. 1872 to 1876 feet to the
mile, and even tie Baltimore and Ohio
railroad has grades Of la feet. The
grades on the Pacific railroads, and on
that Rocky mOunain 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 sOuh stretched the
bleak PENNSYLVANIA wilderness. unin.
habitCd save by few wood men. the
panther, the deer ard the bear. The
solitude seemed liks thai of desert,
and the strainlng. ascending lOcomo.
tive like gigantit wheeZy pioneer.
There's Tigh-down romance, or
tragedy, OF whatever you may call il, F"
said the engineer. attached to this
hill. And wa the least of a hero in
it, As there wa woman in il though,
| must tell you that I'm married
man.
"All right Go ahead with the story"
zone night, about four years ago.
and lust a0out this month, the pngi-
neer coptinued, II was coming down
hill with considering the season. a
prettl heavy train. At WilkesbaiTe
over in the valley-which you'll soon
seed young lady had got ON board of
my engine. She wanted night-ride
and was put on by the superintendent.
She was perfect lady, and her moth.
or was in one Of the cars, back. To
tell the honest truth las | have often
said to my wife), never saw more
beautiful or game-loOking girl. She
was very small-sized. dressed in what
my wife calls complete taste, and her
figure was so good, and hands so small.
and her ways SO frank and artless. that
! almost wished she was my daughter.
Her face, though, was what ! can't
give YOU any idea OF. II was the most
beautiful face ever saw. II had,
proceeded the engineer. warming. "all
the Intelligence of a w0man's and the
Of q child's. Aud she was
so sprightly and lovable altogether, and
asked SO many questions, that, nj.
though had never had woman on
the engine but once before, invited
her over here to my seat, and explain
to her all about how a locomotive is
rm. ! showed her how to manipulate
the lever which admits more OF less
steam 70 the cylinders; how the re.
verse lever is worked. how the tests of
water and steam are made.
showed her how 10 blow the
whistle and riugtho bell,lsnd explain.