Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-08-16


be opened t let us in on th' Shore track,
where the road was level, and we could
git away from tn burnin' cars. Tn
switch, OF course, was closed, n now.
even if the switchman opened it on my
signal, there was tn danger O. crashin'
into tn express. TT add t this fearful
situation, l see a freight train from tn
east pulling like tn devil possest to git
inter the switch a Brocton out O. tn
way O. tn due express.
"' Good God,' says I, Jimmy, what'll
we do@"
"This all took place in about five sec
onds.
- Holler firth switchl' says Jimmy.
That's our only chancep
$50 L whistled for 'em to open the
switch. Lord, what shrek that engine
givei Seemed s if It knew our chances
was slim. an Its whistle was jes' one yell
o agony?
dispose they won't open the switch,
Jimmy, said [. Hot as twas, l could
feel tn cold sweat STAN out on my fore.
head, and ooze out all over me. know
[ was as pale as a sheet, for | could feel
it. Jimmy'd been married jes' week
afore, an [ know'd how much he tho't
of that little woman O. his'n. | had a
wien seven children. 1t was a kinder
an ole thing with me, but there wasn't
no spot to me like that little home O.
mine an its contents.
"' If they don't turn tn switch, Jack
said Jimmy good-byep
He stuck out his hand know'd
what he meant. Iketche ed hold his hand,
and we bid each other good bye! N all
the time we was sweepin' like the wind
toward the station, with the blazin' devil
only ten feet behind me. N, thank
God! they did turn the switch, an we
shot in on tn Shore track, tore by the
depot like a rocket, an on thro' the
town an on up the road. We know'd
then that the express had been warned
of our approach. We soon outstripped
the burnin' cars, they losin' the NOM en-
tum of the grade. We slowed our brave
old gal by degrees, an stopped within a
hundred yards O tn express that lay on
the track, waitin' for the upshot O. the
race. Jimmy N me got off, but III mex
we knowd we didn't know nothin'. We
tainted dead away, and when we
come to, was both at home, safe and
sound, but terribly shook up, now I tell
you.
"The two boss keepers was both I'M
conscious in the box car. If they'd a
knOw'd the other dangers we was in
aside from the burnin' cars dose me if |
don't think the'd "a died The HOSES
was badly cut up, and so unstrung that
[ guess they never got over t. After
all, our escape from the collision with
the Shore express had been more luck
than management. The express was a
minute late. The engineer see the blaze
O the oil cars tearin' down the noun
tains, and he know'd what tn matter
was t once. But he didn't caIlate that
we was tearin' down with any such fear
full speed, an he thought we could git to
the depot N out O the way fore he
reached it. He got within a mile O. the
station n see he couldn't make t an
stopped, an backed away to give us
room. If he'd a been on time-well, it
amt tall likely I'd be a tellin' you O.
this-'n ther'd been more widders nj
orphans In the country to-day than
there is. By bullheaded-luck the en-
gineer of the up-freight train made his
sidein' in time t git out'n our way.
The oil cars was left to burn up, O.
course. They burned three hours, and
the express had to lay off till they got
through. The luckiest part O the whole
thing was the brakemen at the summit
havin' sense enough to cut off the pas
senger cars an stop 'em. S'pose they'd
a stayed with the oil car! They'd been
on fire in less than a minute and as
they tore down that hill at lightning
speed hundreds of human beings d a
been roasted In that quarter f a mile O.
fire.
Give been a good while tellin' YOU
about this cire instance, but how long
d'you s'pose it was happenin'? Well,
from the time we left Mayville summit
to the time Jimmy'n me tainted b'yond
Brocton, was jes' 'leven minutes n TWEEN
ty seconds? [ had the time we started,
and one O. the boys looked at his watch
when we dropped. We had run over
fifteen miles.
1T seems strange to me-" ventured
to remark, =" that you didn't jump from
your engine as you might have done, at
the start"
WHAT leave my engine! I'd as soon
think O desertin' my wife in troubles as
a quit my engine when there's difficulty
thead of her! / amt no brag, but f
ever they find old Jacks engine down
the bank r smashed to smithereens,
they'll find old Jack, pieces of him not
far way from her. N. 7. Sun.