The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-04-14
A Story of the Rail.

Mr. Stillson, the racy correspondent of the
New York World, relates story told him
by an engineer on the Lehgh Valley rail-
road, what time the locomotive climbed the
mountains ION the most picturesque line of
railway in America"
At White Haven we had dinner, and
engines and engineers were changed. |
found myself here on one of the finest To-
comotives ever built for any road, and in
the company of one of the brightest of
engine-drivers. The ride thenceforward was
one to remember through life time.
A great food had swept through the
valley here not many years ago. The Le-
high, swollen with its many tributary 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 children were crushed ant
drowned without other warning than the
roar of wave that rose at the rate Of
thirty feet in nine minutes. The vision Of
this food in the midst of storm and dark
ness, and the echos Of despairin@ cries, were
easily conjured up as the locomotive doomed
along, .angling its 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 PENNSYLVANIA
wilderness to height which overlooks one
of tie historical and typical scenes of the
continent.
The grade was steep ; the engineer opened
the valve, regulated his engine in all respects.
smoked. and asked me to step over and sit
on his side of the locomotive.
"It's all clear sailing for few miles now,"
said he; "We shall not meet anything, It's
tug up hill"
"What gradeY'
"From 100 to l4S feet to the mile"
That's the reason, then, that you have
these heavy engnes?"
eyes"
as this grade thought by railroad men to
be very steep?"
"Well," said the engineer, slowly, "pretty
0'NNP bu hupN iIdI III Olu llIltS, Ill
England, grades of thirty and forty feet to
the mile were thought to be heavy. Grades
of seventy or eighty feet were thought to be
impracticable. I can remember reading all
about it, They didn't understand then
what grip heavy iron wheel has got on
an iron rail, and how much good locomo-
tive could pull if you only gave her fuel and
time. They found it out afterwards. hear
they've got in England and France grades
1872 to 1876 feet to the mile, and even the
Baltimore ard Ohio railroad has grades o
ia feet. The eIadCs en- the Pacific rail.
roads, 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 thai
viewp
Away to the south stretched the bleak
Pennsylvania wilderness, uninhabited save
by few wood-men, the panther, the deer
and the bear. The solitude seemed like that
of desert, and the straining locomotive
Ike gigantic wheezy pioneer.
There's a aright-down romance, or tragedy
or whatever you may call it" said the engi
neer, attached to this hill. And was the
least of a hero in it. As there was wo,
man in it though, must tell you that I'm a
married man." ..
"All right. Go ahead with the story"
"One night about four years ago, and just
about this month" the engineer continued
81 was coming down the hill with lconsid
ering the reason) pretty heavy train. Al
Wilkes Barre over the valley-which you'll
soon see-a young lady had got aboard
my engine. She wanted night ride ant
was put on by the superintendent. She wa
perfect lady, and her mother was in one o
the cars, back, To tell the honest truth (a
| have often said to my wife, | never saw ,
more beautiful and game-lookiug girl. Sh
was very small sized, dressed in what m,
wife calls complete taste, and her figure wa
so good, and her ways so frank and an. les.
that almost wished she was my daughte,
Her face, though, was what cant give yo
an idea of. 1t was the most beautiful face
ever saw. 1t had, proceeded the engineer
warming, "all the intelligence of woman
and the simplicity of a ehilds. And sh
was so sprightly aud loyable altogether, an
asked so many questions, that, although
never had woman ON the engine but onc