Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-08-01
PHILIP BARTON-ENGlNEER.
81 9Bo. 4. PAnRIm.

Philip Barton, Of Denver have You ever heard the
Sleep. to-nteht in his icy tomb, wrspped IN the
martyrs fame.
Philip Barton, Of Denver, alsnder and fair and
Never suoS deeds of daring has spirit or mortal
Only he H. s;s:t white mountains watch where the
Only the stars Of heaven look down from the dark.
Yet tonisht s mid storm and Darkness tonight mid
read Of his act Of daring, read Of his death and
You do veil, oh, Western mountains, to guard his
Silent bis merry laughter, and white, his; boyish
Surely your wind-swept ced.rs bent in their rocks
That night q storm and darkness, that night when
Barton died.
But many Sesr be h:'d hi. Place in tho cab of
Many, airip lad he looked ahead. over that icy
Stretching ssent the mountains md across the
Many time had he made the curve-never again
Around the edge VI Miller's Bend, just as it
mounts the hill
An ugly bit Of mountain road, whenever the upper
Chances to slide from its rocky nest onto the rails
Sixty miles from Denver, and tho rocks, in solid
Rising to the very st.rs-hung .s il to fall
Down to where tho swift Arkansas In sullen d ow,
Sweeps against its stony banks, = thousand fest
And that night down the c.non-running At 'forty,
Plunged the great engines, dragging the night
On over the bridge It the river and into forest Of
With bsrton. face At the window, watching for dan
Behind was the second engine, ahead was the wall
Which the prong Of the great pillow lifted and hurled
to the rocks below. -,
Black was the midnight darkness over tho curve
Save for the little geam Of light which the rushing
Firm 70 The hand of the engineer, clear and cool
As1.atas out Of the svay,ng cab, he peered bsfose
On into The awial silence and darkness like van,
As if the mantle Of the Dead lay stretching al,
Straight ahead the rushing engines, swinging, sway
ing on the track,
Sudden shout Of horror, wild as . cry Of death,
Came, while the train swept forward-s~ift as hur-
Sharp rang warning whistle, from 49," ahead,
.'1anger-down brakes!" the signal, that quick
D.nger-fos that moment from the summit Of the
Barton Pi,; S.'eh'ns out ahead saw with sudden
Almighty shadow deepen, and heard muttled roar,
Like the deep-toned beating Of surf upon the
shore.
An in:t,9 2t and he und'rs'ood-som' broken cars
We're rushing down that incline. hurled by their
Along the sRsy as1 DOZEN en- NOR: Or
press.
Never one moment for hating, scarcely moment
Firmer tho grasp on the lever, c.,mer the en-
He heard the r.spine Of the brakes, the slowing
But only puzzled his throttle in to pull it out
"Jump!" he cried to his fireman; slump for the
m going to stop the ru"a0oy, and breok my coup
Out goes he trembling thro.tle-craek, and with .
Old "4s' and her engineer went charging for the
Up to meet the coming Of those deadly dealing cars,
just gallant hunter spurs ere he leaps the bars
Just as charging trooper, with white but earnest
Cnngs to his horses saddle, as Barton kept his
Swift as the equinox, wild As whirlwnd's breath,
''49" and her rider swept up to that awful death.
The gzandest charge Of cavalry tho world has ever
The solitary Roman made who faced such odds
alone,
But now without order, without one word or
cheer,
With half prayer upon his lips, swept on that en-
gineer,
Up to the terrible crash there mid the mountain
snow,
Thss hurled the cab, like an ARROW, on the icy
rocks below,
Crushing the gallant body, till the wreck burst into
fame,
As martyrs spirits rise to God beyond mans praise
or blame,
Till the stars ent waving back their white signal
To tell thst engineer below he had the right Of way
Such Is the story read to- night read in wind and
rain,
Till Philip Barton's face looked in from each wet
window pane,
Until the wind seemed bearing, where'er its fury
blows,
The virtue OF his hero deed from of the mountain
SHOWS;
Who're Wrapped his icy mantle, but bright With mar
tyr'a dame,
They guard with vigilance their dead-he Of the
bafton name. Sunday Inter Ocean.