The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-09-29
An Iowa Heroine.

When the wind and rain was pouring
in torrents down the canyon through
which the railway track from here to
Moingona runs on Wednesday night of
last week, young girl of IA or 10 stood
at her window at midnight, near the
lower end of the ravine, watching the
slow forward creeping of the pilot en-
CINE sent out to explore the condition of
the embankment and bridges. Suddenly
as it passed upon we'll known trestle,
sh e saw its lights disappear, and knew
there were human lives in danger. Rush
ing out into the storm and to
the very brink of the chasm, Katie
Shelley called at the top of her
voice with the hope that some
poor struggler in the turbid waters might
hear her voice and be encouraged by her
cry. She was heard, and back from the
swaying tree top in which the engineer
had found another lease of life, came an
answer to her cheer, many times repeated.
But the swollen streams forbade hearing
directions which were shouted to the
young girl, and she was left to her own
resources to effect a rescue, which, for
tunately, were not wanting. Alone and
guided by the Pickering light of dim
lantern she commenced her journey
through the tall wood to Moingona,
mile away, to summon help. She crept
beneath the swaying branches, her face
brushed by the switching underground,
wet to the waist by wadipg the little hol,
lows of the hillside, each now running
brook, losing her way at times, though
every foot of the route was known page
under ordinary circumstances, and at last
came out upon the long railway bridge
Here her light blew out, but she did
not hesitate. Across the slippery bridge
ties, for there were no plank she stepped,
guarded only by the gashtly flashes
Of the lightning, while the wind blew a
gale and wrapped her skirts about her
head and drenched her eyes with tue
cold spray of the storm. Beneath her
were the waters whose embrace was
death. Six feet they had risen in an
hour; one false step and they would close
over her forever. They dashed and
howled against the piers and across the
ice break, clamoring for her, and licking
out their foaming tongues and tiecking
the trembling timbers with their froth.
There must have been a Providence
which guided little Katie Shellev's foot
steps acl oss that perilous passage in the
awful night until the safe ground OF the
western embankment was reached and
she fed through the black darkness, with
streaming hair and outstretched bare
and cleaning arms to the lights Of the
town, and in the ears of anxious men at
the depot shouted the story of disaster
and The cry for help.
Two men went down in that fatal
chasm, and two widows and two families
of infant children call for the lost who
never shall return; but two other men
and two other families to their dying days
have cause to thank the good Lord that
he made one woman with the brave heart
of Katie Shelley. The cold, business
like official report will never tell it as 1t
is, only that ''the accident was re-
ported by young girl and re-
lief was promptly dispatched" And when
the fatal trap in which poor Olmstead
and Pat Donahue found their watery
graves, is again flied up and traffic once
more is busy over the spot, the great
company will forget the deed, or only re-
member it as an accident which brought
no suit for personal damages against the
company. Heroism exerted for the
Northwestern is q constant illustration Of
Virtue being its own reward. II Boone
| uowa) Standard.