The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-11-09
UOndeBJui R0ilrO0cii81.
HOW ONE TRAIN PASSED ANOTHER on 4
SINGLE TRACK on THE UNION PACIFIC.

HOW ONE TRAIN PASSED ANOTHER on 4
SINGLE TRACK on THE UNION PACIFIC.
The Beloit (Wis) Free Press says that
DR.. Ii. Il. rong. brother of the general
superintendent Cf the Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy railroad. who has recently re-
turned from Colorado, tells the following
exciting story :
Last Saturday our train was running from
Denver To Cheyenne. TO connect with the
Union Pacific AZ Cheyenne. When within
Is miles ot Cheyenne and about thirty five
! miles of Greeley, and while running M a
ien-inile grade, one of the axles of the ten
der broke, and the whole ira n with the ex-
cepfion of onr car, was thrown from The
track aud badly jamnei mp. The assistant
superintendent of the road happened TO be
on board, and. as we surveyed the ruins, he
told us that there was no en- giue "A Cheyenne
that would he sput to cur assistance, aud
must look to Greeley. aud that WE were
probably booked for eighteen miles walk 10
Cheyenne, where we would have to remain
over Sunday
While thinking Of orr hard iucll haTpcn-
ed to look back over the road. and observed
that we had been running on up grade
for long distance aud ~ the same time |
remembered that about fifteen minutes be.
fore had jumped the track we met a
train ON side track going to Denver. 4
thought struck me that there was Il wav out
of our dilemma. ! turned to the engineer
aud asked him if there was any M grade
toward Greeley. He said that there was
only ore-a heavy one about eight miles
back. After that it was all down grade. !
/ called for crowhars Instantly, and two or
three train mon rar ont thirty or forty rods
on the prairie and dug mp the bars. You
see, the railroad company have compiling
irons crOwhars and such things "clchri"
in the ground, because the ai- is 80 raIified
thai iron and all the coarser metals. when
exposed to its action, very soan lose their
density, the PARTICLES separ1tinC and the
metal becoming like so much sand, nithouf
strength, and perfectly worthless. While
. the boys were after the croybarS | eyDlaiiI-
! ed to party that believed we could prv
Q our car loose from the coupling with the
train, and having a down grade, roUla
catch ihe train we had met. We soon had
the car 1ucuuI,lrd with the aid of crow bars,
and a dozen more of us started on The car.
She gli,ird along faster and faster, gathering
speed every second.
/ Not being familiar wi'h the grades the
. only fear | had was that uur car would not
gain sufficient momentum 20 overcome the
M grade though of course, hoped il ~uuld.
We very soon struck il, and l assure ven /
watched The progress of the car with a good
deal of interest. And it Just made il aud
that was all. We jumped off aud pushed
her n l!ftlp, aud down We started on tWer;-
tv-hve rnile down grade. looked ahead
AMI several miles of could easily see the
train We were after, but il was almost in
stanfly shut ont Of sight hv our Suddenly
running into \ dense ruass Of hviug grass
hoppers, evidently seeking 20 aliEhr on The
ground We had all been standing on the
platform 10 this time, Gut when we met
those graSshOppers we were driven into the
car, they struck our faces with tine force
of halstones. Looking through the win
dows could see nothing but graSshopp"rs.
Su thick were they. and only now and then
could Cpt n glimnse of the ground even.
After n minute or two became Il lille auX-
! inuS a. | knew we were going very fast. ana
as had engineered The brake, / started ~
from my seat aud tving heavy haudkrr-
chief about my face went out to the platform
a,Id seized the brake. For minute IL
wasn't clear i'll my minh whether | could
hold ont aCains: the pelring Of The 'Ho:sDaIs
or not, hut Suddenly. when l was about
! wlipnrj, our car emerged from the swarm.
and rs soon rs ] realized il tore th- band
kPrchipf from my face and looked ont for the
train, with my hands on the brake; ready
. to avoid running iutC il. / felt queer, when,
F in looking, / couldn't see that train, and
when took one look around and saw that OUE
car was running on bare ground, with the
track about Twenty-Five rods 10 my left.
! tell you the cold shivrrs ran mp and do~.l
, my back TO n considerable extent. II a nlar
ever put down brakes, " IL was me. | laid
right back and tigitened That brake wheel
three more cogs than had ever been done 10y
the stortest man on the road. Size stopped
! and as ! opened the car door To call out the
crowd, heard engine whistle down
brakes ] jumped off 10 the ground and,
looking backward toward the sound, saw that
engine slowing mp behind us on be track.
l hadn't word TO say. L began TO think
that | would like to get ont of thar country
right away, aud be tucked up in my little
he'd at home until 1 got well. The other fel-
lows were soon Jumping out on the ground,
and !hev were astouishei as / was. " E
started for the train, which had now come
10 a standsiill. the conductor shouting a. we
came up: well. boys Won dill that pretty
we'll" SAYS /: See here, mister. were
strangers in this country, and though We We
had some experience in the East, we'll be
I blamed If know what ynu mean when
Won say did that pretty we'll why
taking your car past rs, of course. We were
afraid some greelthoTn was managing voUl
car when We saw II coming down the grade
before the 'hOppers struck Is We knew,
however W. were leaving you n hopper bed
3 10 do the track ou.'' Well. to come 10 iGt
point, 'hc train ahead Of us bad mashed -
many dead h0ppers nu the road bed that II
was filled MP fall, even with the rails, ~
that when uur car cot along II Slid right ra
the rails and the ground was ~ hard and
/ even thai il ran close ON fonv miles heturr !
nut Ou the brakes and stopped h"r, and
B while she was running those fruF UiieS we
passed the train were trying to uvcr'aE-.
the dense mass of flying 'h0prer~ preveu ing
J us from seeii'g il ~ we went by
In conversation viii: the conductor after
wards learned ilIstt it NaS Qnta tllck a
I the engineers on ,he UuioU Pacific road %
pass amor her train. They " u pull their
trains of tire track. 60 10y unj iscoy erri 10y
reason OF the density of hoHpers, pnil back
to The track, aud when The passed train
ft-tcles ND At the pexf station rs engineer
has 10 s'sef 'em up for all hands. A. i
j. supper time, aud TO get down =" 'e~1tiiS,
we got our car hack ON the track, IA ciIed =
hopper piow on ths rear car, and III erg NJ
and train hacked MP 10 ihe wreck, from
which we had been gone just ntne;een min
utes in which time had travelled oigh-
teen miles twice.
Az INTERESTING FACr.-iu Hildre'h' 5
s.Histnry ,,f ih. Lnitcd States. =" Z is stat ed