The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-01-06
CAE SPRlNGEL.
| Gro, Golden DaYs |

many. for a del of self-sacrificlng hero
ism which is rparallelled in the legends
of Greece and ONE, or the annals OF
more modern tivalry.
1t is not so Wy hard for the soldier to
face bullets an cannon balls upon the
the battle fieldfor he knows that while
there are manchances of death there is
still some chace Of life.
Carl Spring, a poor, lame German
boy, to save my human beings from an
awful death. walked straight into the
face of certainleath himself, and met 1t
like hero.
On the 19tlpf November, 1867, IL ter
rible rain stOm swept over Southern
Germany. Fc twenty hours the rain
poured downin such torrents rs had
never before len known in that region.
and it seemeds if the day were to be
the beginningf second deluge. Rivers
overfiowed thT banks. ana petty streams
were swallen ito rivers.
At nine cock at night the storm
ragged on withunabated violence, when
Carl Springelset out on his clutches
from the hut which he lived alone, to
carry an eveng repast to his parent,
who was on latch duty at the bridge
over the DeI's Gulch, on the Great
South GermarRailway.
The Devils iulch is a fanciful name
given to an immense cleft in the rocks,
two hundred Get wide and hundred
and fifty deep which had been spanned
by strong bidge of wood and iron. be-
lleved by the ngineers who constructed
it to be capabh of outstanding all pos
sible assaults If wind and water
1t was the dlty of Wilhelm Springel-
Carls father-to keep guard at this
bridge on Stony nights, and warn the
oncominy trans of any lurking danger
which night exist.
Beneath the bridge q mountain stream
boiled AMI dubbed in ordinary times; on
that night the heavy rains had swollen it
to furious torrent.
Carl soringel hobbled slowly along
upon hB crutches through the almost
Egyptial darkness of the night, half
blinded ~ the rain, but buoyed up by
the thought that he was bringing cheer
and comfort to his beloved father.
Whenwithin hundred yards Of the
bridge, IL awful crash sounded out upon
the night air loud above the din of the
storm. and a shudder of horror ran
throughhis brave young soul.
1t wa. the bridge-the bridge which
had ben deemed impregnable. The
bridge lad succumbed to the fury of the
water, which rushed down upon its foun-
lations n irresistible torrents from the
mountain side.
Hurting on as fast as he could, Carl
reached the railroad track, and his worst
fears were realized. Upon the track,
some ten i, ct away from where the en-
trance of the bridge had been, was has
fathers hand-car, with his red lantern
burning dimly in it, and by the lantern S
light Carl could see the full extent of the
disaster. Every section, every timber OF
the bridge had been swept away, and the
yawning gulf and the roaring flood were
all that were left.
Father, father!' cried Carl, in his
loudest tones. Father, father, he
called again, where are you?'
But no answering voice responded,
and there rushed across his brain the
terrible certainty that his father had
gone down with the bridge.
For Il moment his breast was filled
with unutterable anguish. But il was
only for Il moment. Quick as thought
it flashed upon his mind, that 1t was al
most time for the lastnight train from
the great city above to come rushing
along with its living freight.
No danger-signal cleaned from the
watch-tower upon the bridge, and on
they would come. unsuspicious OF then
peril until it would be too late, and they
would be dashed in IA moment into the
seething flood more than a hundred feet
below.
What was to be done: Forgetting fol
the instant the great woe That had be-
fallen him. Carl decided at once that II
was his duty to supply his father 5 place
and warn the train of its peril IN time to
save it, if possible. But what could he
dc?
The tempest increased in its fury. and
the rain poured down as though II conld
never stop. Hark, the train Is coming
Already lie hears it rumbling on toward
destruction, and it must be near, or he
could not hear it above the storm.
He cannot run with his poor, crippled
legs. so he throws himself upon the
hand-car. and nerves himself for Il
mighty effort.
As though his own life were at stake
ne begins to turn. Slowly at first, then
faster and faster, he drives the car in the
direction of the approaching train.
On, on, dashes the mighty iron horse
nearer and nearer it comes. Oh, if he
can only warn them while there is yet
time to stop the train If only he can
get far enough off to save the train from
rushing headlong into that horrible
grave.