Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-09-04

| 1Hey IuSHeu through sens dJ IlgnL-
ming speed. BY this time alarm had
seized on all the passengers, except
a newly married couple II one car
riage. Lovers and fools are all
alike. Sombreker and the married
couple were the only persons who
were calm. In the other carriage
scenes of q narrowing kind took
place. The telegraph had been set
in motion to clear the way for the
mad train, and from every pace that
1t passed messages were sent to the
chief office at Paris. AT Dion
Chaussang, who at first had been
overwhelmed by the vastness of the
catastrophe, recovered his presence
of mind. He shouted Yvon's name
in Leger's ear, but without effect;
and then he tried what force would
do. AS the train flashed through
Dion the crowd of spectators caught
glimpse of two men struggling
violently on the engine. The fight
was fierce and brief, and Leger won
1t. When he saw the stoker lying
exhausted on the coali, he addressed
the "Durrance" with cries of tri-
umph and encouragement, and,
breaking the stem of the safety
valve, he covered it with an enorm-
Gus mass of coal. "The DEVILS in
the man." muttered Chaussang.
Then he made his way to the first
carriage, and at the risk of his life
and of the child's, and in spite of its
mothers violent resistance, he car
ried Yvon back to the engine with
him. AL that he gained by this
was the warm thanks of Leger, by
whose side Yvon stood, 'delighting
as much as his father in the furious
and ever-increasing speed Of the
trfi in. Then a man in the first car
riage took out gun which he had
WITH him and fired at Leger without
hitting him, but before he could re-
peat the attempt, Marie, Leger's
wife tore the gun from his hand and
flung it out of the window. Mean
while one of the back carriages
caught fire. Certain sounds on the
engine told Chaussang that the end
was approaching. Water at the
same time was wanted for the boiler,
and Chaussang knew that lie it was
supplied the final catastrophe would
take place at once. With q cord
which he had got from a passenger
he tied up the tap Of the reservoir,
and the time it took Leger to undo
the fastenings just sufficed for Chaus-
sang, carrying WON in his arms, to
unfasten the couplings of the engine.
The breathless locomotive having
been pushed forward by the train,
the stoker was able to unscrew the
couplings and unite the chains. He
was now standing on the buffer, his
one hand engaged with his work,
the other carrying Sombreker's
child. The locomotive, relieved OF
the weight OF the train, took a fresh
bound, and shot off with the veloc-
ity OF a bullet from gun. The
wagons, consequent on the acquired
velocity, rolled along for while, but
soon abandoned their giddy speed.
The guards who saw the machine
running on before, furiously tight
ened up the wheels, and in a few
minutes everybody was landed. One
man only did not leave his place,
and that was Chaussang. lie gazed
upon the "Durrance," which was
now half a mile away. BY means
of his nails and teeth Leger nd sue
ceeded in freeing the tap from the
cords with which it was tied. There
was a sound heard like the firing of
artillery; a shower Of rubbish was
seen shooting up in the air. The
"Durrance" had gone to smither-
Gems, and the driver, Sombreker, had
leaped with her, shouting victory.