Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-01
OVER CAPE HORN.
A Thrilling sketch.

Oregon, the delight of tourists in that
fresh region; and the third a mountain
cape, q spur of the rocky Sierras, around
which daily creep the trains upon the
Central Pacific Railroad, while the pas
sengers gaze with awe and wonder at
the mimic ocean Of green valley spread
them.
Four years ago Edward Parker was
freight engineer upon the Sacramento
division of the road and once each day,
dragging The long line of loaded cars up
the steep mountain side, or with an
equally long line sliding carefully down.
he rounded the dread cape. The up trip
was safe enough, but the return, when
the immense weight and momentum of
score or more Of heavily-laden cars com
bined to push the engine onward was
dangerous indeed, and Parker knew it.
One morning in November, 1878,
Parker started with his train from
Truckee, the station on top of the noun
tains, for Sacramento. There we're thirty
cars to draw, more than half Of them
loaded The train crew consisted of a
fireman and three brakemen beside him
self.
AS in the early dawn they switched
from the siding and moved out upon the
main line, the snow lay ten feet deep all
about them, while heavy fog turned the
towering trees upon either hand to gigan-
tic spectrcs, and the overhanging rocks
to cloud born castles, gloomy ani grand.
But Parker cared little FOR the beauty or
phantasmagora Of nature; he knew that
before night, if all went WELL he should
be in land or fruit and flowers, and the
broad valley of the San Joaquin would
spread in wide green beauty upon either
hand, while the soft air brought to him
delicious perfumes, and the snow-clad
mountains glistcned in innocent purity
far behind; so great is the change from
the Sierra SUBMITS to the happy Cali
tornia below. Now, however, his only
trouble was that the dense mist which
filled the air, choking even the engine,
which weezed aud coughed in clouds of
half condensed steam, rendered it almost
impossible for him to see any distance
ahead, or so far behind as the caboose of
his own tram. With great care, therefore,
he opened the valves and slid down the
ringing rails.
The distance from Truckee to the Horn
is some sixty miles, and the day was al
ready half spent, when, with every nerve
upon the alert, his head out Of the cab
window and his hand grasping the thros-
tie, Parker found his train at the sum-
NIT of that sleeper grade which would
sweep him around the terrible cape,
around the double curve below, across
the sloping trestle, and at last into
the little town of @. IL. Mills. Still the
fog continued AS the rumbling car
passed one by one the point where the
heavy grade commenced, Parker, stand
ing upon his engine, could easily
note the increasing force with which he
was urged forward, until the entire train
shot onward with highly accelerated
speed.
At this point it was the duty OF the
train hands, without warning from the
engineer, to set the brakes 50 that before
reaching the Horn the train would be
moving at not less than six miles per
hour. But upon this dreary morning
this duty was not performed, the brakes
were not set. As this fact flashed across
Parkers mind he pulled his whistle
sharply. But still he was hurried on
ward and downward each moment with
increasing velocity. Again the whistle
shrieked; they were now within two
miles of the curve, and with all its force
the engine ground its wheels backward
upon the slippery rails.
Still no answer, and as Parker looked
from his cab at the shower of sparks
struck from the heavy wheels of his long
train as it flew forward, and felt it was
beyond his power of control, he knew
that destruction and death stalked before!
for at that rate of motion it was beyond
a possibility that the engine would keep
to the rails upon the curve, butshe would
be pushed from the track and hurled
over the precipice below!
On. on they flew. A mile was passed,
and already great wall of rock stood
upon the one hand, while the chasm was
each in: tant deepening upon the other
Three minutes more and they would be
at the Cape, and then PARKER dared
not think as he looked into the horrible
gulf at his side. There was but one
chance of escape-to spring from the
train.
Turning to his fireman, the brave en-
gineer, WAC still retained his grasp upon
the throttle valve, said, "Jim, we must
jump for it Take the rock side and wait
until she leaves the rails"
The fireman nodded. But even at that
moment the engine gave furious lurch
and bound, and the increasing roar be-
hind them told the two men that they
were off the track and might at any in
slant be hurled upon the rocks beneath.
Yet still they were pressed onward. With
great leaps like frightened deer the
mighty machine upon which they rode
was urged along, the steam escaping from
every point, the fire flying from the box
below, and the danger Of explosion added
to the horrors that threatened them.
On, on! The long train, like great
snake, writhing in and out along the mar
row track, yet ever approaching that ter
rible curve, that fearful plunge that must
be made!
Nearer and yet nearer, closer and still
closer, until Parker's foot trembled upon
the step of lis cab and his hand was
raised to give the signal to the fireman,
when with one furious spring the coupling