St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-10-27

up grades. Near Crawford's is that
spider-like Frankenstein trestle, you We
heard so much about. where the track
spans chasm eighty feet wide, and one
hundred feet deep. Strong enough, |
but it makes man feel skittlsh
to 90 over it for the first time. Well,
my good luck is all owing to that trestle.
We lived in Portland then, Nell and |.
She is my wife, and we was as happy as
could be. The only drawback was
that every other night I had to take the
late express up to Fabyan's and come
back next day on the accommodation.
Nell used to be afraid to have me go.
particularly as the road was new and
accidents would happen spite of all we
could do. kept telling her it was safe
enough, and the pay was good, so Id
better stick to my place for awhile any
way, though, to tell the truth. didn t
like the route, twas SO awful gloomy
like. No big towns to 60 through, only
now and then a little village, and they
would be as dark and quiet as a grave
yard, when we struck 'em at night.
Summers it wasn't so bad, but winters
was awful. Well, one night in January,
when it was my turn to stay in Portland,
the Superintendent sent for me and said:
Bob, there's q party of directors as
wants to get through the mountains to-
night, and they're going to start about
ten O clock. I'll have to send a special,
but I haven't an engineer that | can
trust. Now, it's your night off, know,
but if you'll pull the throttle for
them fellows, I'll make it all right with
YOU
".Wel, says I, I'll go, of course;
but It's goin' to be a bad night on the
mountains
:. That's so, Bob says the Super.
but know | can rely on you, and them
directors say they must go through,
anyhow
$50 went back to our little cottage
and told Nell as how I'd got to 60. She
took on very queer like and seemed dis
tressed to have me away, though she
never acted like that before,
.ssIt's an awful night, Bob, says she.
cant they send some one elsee | don't
like to have you go.
".Nonsense, says 1, the storm
won't hurt me, and I'll be back again
tomorrow. The Super's promised to
do the square thing, and it will come
out ali right.
'sShe seemed little treasured. and |
got out my great coat and muller, and
in EN- prepared to start out.
s'WelI, Bob saws my wife If you
must go, why YOU must, but, she
added, thoughtfuIly, and there was
the queerest look passed over her face
'be careful of that Fankenstein,
trestle.'
II scarcely heard what she said, but
bidding her goodbye was soon on my
way to the round-house. 1t was wild
night and no mistake; seems to me [
have never seen it blow harder or snow
faster. Once or twice had to turn my
back to the blast to keep from BLOWN
over. Well, was soon on board my
machine. and backing into the station,
hitched on to two cars which were to
make up the train. AS ten o'clock APP
preached the directors began to arrive.
pompous looking men, with plenty of
money and feeling all their Importance.
ssThem fellers, says / to myself, feel
their steam pretty well. / don't sup
pose they'd look at an engineer.
s.Dan Smith, my fireman, was on the
watch for the conductors signal, and
when the clock struck ten we got the
swing Of the lantern and off we started.
..I've seen some pretty bad nights,
but that one was the worst | ever re-
member. The storm tonight is hard
enough, but it don't begin to blow as it
did then. Why, every now and then
we would get blast that would make
the whole machine trennble, and as the
country round Portland is pretty level.
we took the full force of the wind. As
we got further inland, it WASN'T SO bad,
and by the time we were forty miles
out, it had turned to a summers gale
and was pouring torrents.
g And now comes the singular part
of the story. We had the right of
way, and our dispatcher was to keep
the whole up to Fabyan's open for us,
my instructions being to stop only at
North Conway for water. So | gave
her the throttle. and we bowled along
at a good rate of speed, making, per-
haps. thirty or thirty-five miles an
hour. AS we went Whlstllng through
Sebago Lake station | had q kind of
feeling come over me that there was
something wrong. / didn't notice it at
first, but every now and then it would
come back to me that all was not as it
should be, yet couldn't think of any
thing that wasn't right. I alters ex-
anime my machine before I start, give
her good oilin', look well to the bolts
and parallel rods, try the levers and
such, and so / knew when we left Port
land old 40 was in perfect workin'
trim. Yet the feelin' grew on me un-
til it was a steady thing. tried to
shake it Off. but twan't no use. [ felt
it in my bones that somethin' was up.
Now you gentlemen will laugh at
me for heinr q fool. and don't blame