Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-10-20
Chasing the Electric Light.

Not long ago a Denver and Rio GrandC
engineer came into Denver after several
weeks absence on the southwestern ex.
| tensions. He arrived near Littleton
about eleven o'clock ut night, indulging
in fond anticipatlons of soon meeting
with his family, of whom he is passion.
ately fond. The night was dark and
gloomy, heavy and threatening clouds
obscured the full moon, overcast the
face of the heavens with an inky pail OF
blackness, and rendered the outlines
of the distant mountains indiscernble.
But he was used to the sonbre sur
roundings of night and loved his engine
as a man loves and pets "A favorite horse.
He had traversed with it the continental
divide. and sped through the deepest
canons and past the sharpest curves
overhanging yawning chasms and gorges,
and it had always proved true to his trust,
escaping dangers as though endowed
with reasoning powers. Therefore he
was in happy frame d mind, the past
leaving no remorse and the future bright,
when suddenly he discovered a cleaning
headlight directly in his front. With
the promptness that eau only be OBJ
tanned through long and patient school
ing i'll the face of peril he reversed the
steam and put on the ar brakes. There
was a rough grating aad a jar for few
moments upon the swiftly revolving
wheels, and the trair came to stop.
After waiting for several minutes he
alighted and listened, put no sound met
his ears except the pttering of few
stray rain drops and tho kissing of steam
as it escaped from his own engine. He
Immediately clamhered in and out of
his cab several times. and at length care
fully started his train for the purpose of
n nearer approach, and of ascertaining
the cause of the delay. He ran at a
slow speed for severll minutes, passing
at least mile and half, with no prac-
tical diminishing of tie distance between
himself and the unacOuntable light. He
then opened the throttle still wider, and
the engine bounded along with velocity
startling even to experienced engineers,
but the glow of the light ever remained
abreast, undimmed and unchanged by
time or space. The fact was a start
ling one, and in spite of all his en-
deavors the thought of evil spirits
making themselves manifest crowded
upon his bewildered mind until the
sweat ran down his grim face and each
particular hair twinea around like a writh-
ing serpent. Determined to solve the
problem at any cost, and whether angel
or devil, with life or death at its COM
mand, to meet and fathom the mystery,
he pressed on The throttle was opened
wide, the fireman shoyeled coal into the
furnace with recklessness that could
only arise from full knowledge that he
did not have it to pay for. The train
roared as it swept down the plains
through the darkness, and at length
rushed into Denver at the speed of forty
miles an hour, startling people for blocks
around, who, bounding from there beds,
believed that some dire calamity had
happened or wa about to occur. Ar
irving at the depot the train was stopped,
and the engineer sent the fireman for a
policeman. Officer Minart was soon
found, who hasten.d to the call and de-
clared himself ready to perform any
thing within his line of duty. The en-
gineer slowly pulled off his coat, and
offered the officer five dollars to kick
him across three squares, having dis
covered that he had been chasing the
electric light on the Union depot tower.