The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-01-04

place they're laid fur they wabble out o.
line in almost any direction. I've seen EN-
myself as crooked as barrel hoops. And
you understand further, if we got throwed
on that fire, we was booked for t'other place
sartin sure
Jim seen the whole thing at a flash and
fur five seconds he set on the box like a
wooden man, wither'n the bosom of his
billed shirt. Then he whistled fur brakes
like a lunatic, reversed the leaver, and piled
out O. the cab winder, end-over-end, never
takin to jump, but goin' it blind.
'Waal, fellers it don't take long to think
when you stand alookin' straight into To-
phet. | knowed | could foller Jim's lead
and jump but l knowed, too, that train
was going to be stalled right in the middle
O fire, if didn't prevent it,
4 looked down the track. The ties was
a smokn', but the iron wasn't warped any
yet They didt count fur much, though fur
the minute the rails felt the weight of the
engine they might wrap up in front four
feet high or they might spread anywhere
under the train. The least thing might
ditch Us, and then-good e. bye, John !
But there was a chance-a mighty slim
one-that we might skin through and
put my pile on that chance
Jim hadn't much more'n struck the
ground when | jumped over to his side,
whistled off the breaks, throwed the leaver
back, and opened the throttle wide Fellers
that engine just jumped ahead like hoss
when you prod him with the spurs. The
next minute we was a kitn through the fire
like ring taile comet
Hot? Jeewhilakers ! | squinted down
on the cab floor, half-choked to death by
the smoke. And all the while | waited fur
somethiu to happen and it came. could
feel by the motion of the train that the cars
were off somewhere.
IF it was the hind car and the couplins
held, and the rest fept the track, we might
skin through yet so l held my breath and
hung on like grim death.
1T seemed as if we was in that furnace ten
years. But at last we cleared the fire, and
got breath o. cool air Then knew your
humble servant was hunkydory. The en-
CINE was through but l didn't know how
many cars was left
4 jumped up and whistled fur breakes,
and reversed the lever. AS we begun to
slack up we got bump and I knowed
that couplin had broke somewhere and
the followin' cars had run into us after the
divide.
As l couldn't do nothin' more in the cab,
| got on to the step and swung out as far as
could, yet not leavin' the engine. : Sure
nough fact we had dropped the two last
coaches; and they had stopped about three
coach lengths behind the rest o the train
yet fur enough from the fire. But the last
coach was blazin' away like pine torch, and
the people a. .pullin' out of it neck and heels
The suction that a train always kicks up
had drawn the flames in against the hind
end and the paint and varnish caught in {
way that wasn't slow: The coach had
jumped the track just before we cleared the
fire, and run twenty rods with everything
on the ties. The coach just ahead was hint
trucks off, but not much slued
That train wasn't long in emptyin', yot
bet All the passengers was safe excep
some bruises and one broken arm belongin
to woman what got tramped under foot il
the rush to git out. Besides this there wa
some dresses torn, and bonnets set awry ant
plug hats otoved in, and good deal O
scare.
we hitched on 10 the next to the las
COACH and tried to save it but it caugh
fire and we had to drop it again and let
60 with the other. Then we looked to tn
had all run down and and spoilt the pretti
est engine that ever left a shop, and tn
coaches was all scorched brown. As fur tn
track we'd just passed over the rails WAS a
crooked as grape vines. 1t made you fee
streked jest to look at it.
BY this time Jim Taltord came limpir
up, havin walked around the fire. He wa
in as sorry pickle as you ever see. Hi
| eyes anu lld WAS lull U oduu hiN Wv W a
tore his billed shirt was blacker'n wiper
and blood was everywheres, lie locke
chuck full o. swear, clean up to the no2
zle.
THE little superintendent spied him tn
first clatter and he stepped up to him an
he says
Hello you engineer where in thunde
did you come from You look like walk
in hospital
And Jim-lookin runnin' over will
swear but mighty perlite sPoken-he says
4 fell out of the winder,
I'm Oh Yes You fell out o tn
winder says the superintendent, slow an
sarcastic-after whistin fur breakes Al
YES you fell out o the wnder"
Then he turned to me, and he says, say
he;
Young man, s'pose you're the fireman
Yes sir, says |, slicker'n grease, fur l.
cut my eye teeth, and begun to smell
mice =
Did YOU whistle of them breaks p say
the superintendent, eyein' me sharp.
Yes, sir says ag'in.
1T wasn't your business to do it, was it
r says he, a frownin'.
But ! knowed thing or two, and didn
scare out wuth a cent so | says, says |, {
innercent as an unborn babe, says / 4;
No, sir it wasn't my reg'lar bushes
but made bold TO do it, howsomever.'
And what fur did you do it p says he.
WAL says |, i seen if them breakes WI
put on, this train was goin' on a tee-line #
Tophet-'cauSe she'd stopped in the mic
die o. that wood pile yonder. The onl
show was to go straight ahead and take IL
f chances % the rails keeping to the bed
But didn't you have time to fall out
? the other winder . says the superintendent
, 4 recon | could jumped, says !, but
| had you'd gone to the dew beg yol