The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-13
Wonderful Railroading.


49,. rp,1y PASSED ANOTHER ON A SIN
GLE TRACK on THE UNION PACiFi'.
5From Tic Hcloit Free Prcssl
Or. II. ?. Strong, brother OF me general
superintendent OF the Chica@o' hurhnsto''
and Quincy railroad. who mas recemtly i.-
snrned from Colorado tells, the following
exciting story: ,;r,,
Last Saturday our train was running
from Denver to Cheyenne to connect WIN
Tho Union Pacific at Cheyenne Hhen
within eighteen miles OF Cheyenne ana
ahout thirty-five miles of Greeley, ana
yyb;ie running up ten-mile grade. one ol
rho ayles of the tender broke, ana tis
whole train with the exception. OF our car
was thrown from the track ana pau't !a'n
mod nm. The assistant superintendent Vi
the road happened to be on ooara, ANU, y.
No surveyed the ruins, he told us that tnere
was no engine at Cheyenne that couia oc
.op. tn orr assistance, and we must looh 10
Erneicv. and that we were probably booked
far an eighteen-mile walk to Cheyenne,
who're we would have to remain over Sat
nrday. This was decidedly disagrecablc to
n; Of zig, as we had been Informed that
during the summer the Cheyenne preachers
are all off on vacation, and consequently
there arc no religious services to attend.
while thinking OF our hard luck j hap
pened to look back over the road, and OBJ
served that we had been running on an up
grade for long distance, and at the same
time l remembered that about fifteen
minutes bsfore we had jumped the track we
met train on n side track going to Denver.
thought struck me that there was way
ont OF the dilemma. turned to the engineer
and asked him il there was any upgrade
toward Greeley. He said that there was only
one-a heavy one about eight miles back.
After that it was all down-gradc. / called
for crowbarS instantly, and two or three
train-men ran ont thirty or forty rods on to
the prairie and dug up the bars. loa see
the railroad company have coupling-lronS.
crowbars. and such things "catchcd in the
ground all along the road, so rs to have
Them ready for Use at any time. They have
10 keep them under the ground, because
The air Is so rarined that iron and all the
coarser metals. when exposed to its action,
verr soon lose their density, the PARTICLES
separating, and the metal becoming like so
,nr,ch sand, without strength, and perfectly
worthless. While the boys were after the
crowbars I explained to our party that l be-
lieyed we could pry our car loose from the
coupling with the train. and, having 4
down-grade. we could catch the train We
had met. We soon hadpthc car uncouplcd
with the aid OF crowbars, and dozen or
more Of us started on the car. She glidcd
along faster and faster, gathering speed
every second.
Not being familiar with the grades. the
ONLY fear ] had wa. that our car would not
cain sufficient momentum to overcome the
upgrade, though, Of course, l hoped 1t
would. Weycry soon struck it, and, assure
T t,ha
a good deal Of interest. And it Just made
# and that was all. We jumped off and
pushed her little, and down we started
again on twenty-five mile down-Srade.
cooked ahead and several miles off could
easily see the train we were after, but 1t
was almost instantly shut out from sight by
our suddenly running into dense mass OF
flying grasshoppers, evidently seeking to
a!icht on the ground. We had all been
standing on the platform up to this
time, but when we met these grasshoppers
we were driven into the car, as they struck
our faces with the force OF hail-stoncS.
Looking through the windows we could see
nothing but grasshoppers, so thick were
they, and only now and then could we get
q glimpse OF the ground even. After 4
minute or two became Il little anxious, as
i knew we were going very fast, and, as
had engineered the brake, l started up from
nv seat, and tying heavy handkerchief
about my face, went out to the platform and
seized the brake. For minute it wasn't
clear in my mind whether l could hold out
against the peltiDg of the 'hoppers or not;
our car emerged from the swarm, and as
soon as I realized it I tore the
handkerchief from my face and looked out
for the train, with my hands on the brake,
ready to avoid running into it. l felt queer
when, in looking, I couldn't see that train.
and when took one look around and saw
that our car was running on bare ground,
with the track about twenty-five rods off to
my left, tell YOUTH cold shiver ran up and
down my back to very considerable eN-
tent. II man ever put "down brakes"
it was me. I laid right back and frightened
that brakc-wheel three more cogs than had
ever been done by the stoutest man on the
road. She stopped, and as turnedto open
the car-door TO call out to the crowd, l
heard an engine whistle I" down brakes"
dumped off TO the ground, and, looking
backward toward the sound, saw that ell
CINE slowing up behind US on the track:
I hadn't word to say. l began to think
that would like to get out OF that country
right away, and be tucked up in my little bed
at home until I got we'll. The other fellows
were soon jumping out on the ground anu
they were as astonished as was. started
for the train, which had now come to stand
still, the conductor shouting as we came up
"Well, BOYS, YOU did that pretty WELL" Says
], s'See here, mister, were strangers IN this
country, and though we've had some eNpe.
rience in the East well be blamed il we know
what you mean when you say that we did thal
pretty wel.'' 'Why, taking your car past
us, of course. We were afraid some green
morn was managing your CIR when we 50"
il coming down the grade before the mop
ners struck us. We knew. however, thai
we were leaving you hard 'hopper bed tc
do the trick on" Well, to come to the
noint. the train ahead Of US had mashed sc
many dead choppers on to the road-bed thai
II was filled up full, even with the rails, sc
that when our car got along it slid right OIL
the rails. and the ground was so hard and
even that it ran close on to four miles before
/ put on the brakes and stopped her, and
while she was running those four miles VIC
passed the train we were trying to overtake
the dense mass OF flying choppers prevent.
ing us from seeing it rs we went by.
In conversation with the conductor after
wards learned it was quite regular tricl;
of the engineers on the Union Pacific road
TO pass another train. They will pull their
trains off the track, 90 by undiscovered by
reason OF the density OF the 'hoppers, pull
back on the track, and when the passed
train fetches up at the next station its engi.
neer has to ''sct 'em up" for all hands. AS
it is supper time. and to get down to results,
we got our car back on to the track, and
hitchcd hopper plow on to the rear ear,
and the engine and train backed up to the
uranlr from which we had been gone lust