St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-09-28
VOLUME 47---NUMBER 24O9.

is an isolated one among the noun
tains, and the road leading to it lies
for the great part of the way through
a deep forest. Mr.. Patterson became
bewildered in the darkness and lost
his way. After many attempts to dis
cover the road he finally let the horse
take its own course through the woods,
following it with n lighted lantern.
After tloundering aimlessly about for
sometime, they came suddenly upon a
railroad track. Mr.. Patterson did not
know what road it was, but felt that
there must be a station or a railroad
crossing somewhere in the vicinity.
He at first intended to walk along the
track until he came to one or the other,
but his wife was afraid to remain in
the woods, so they concluded to take
the chances of meeting a train and
drive along the track in search of Il
way out of the wilderness.
Mr.. PATTERSON led the horse on the
track and walked on ahead with the
light. Mrs. PATTERSON and children
followed in the carriage. A mile or
more was traversed without finding
any crossing or indication of a station,
and then, to insure the safety of his
wife and children, Mr.. Patterson took
them from the carriage, and they fol-
lowed it on foot by the side of the
track, so that at the sound of an ap-
preaching train they could climb the
bank. After going quarter of mile
further they came to bridge. They
could not retrace their steps, and they
resolved to share the risk of keeping
on their way and attempting the cross
ing. They found Il narrow plank foot
path at one side, and Mr.. Patterson
succeeded in leading his horse upon it.
The wheels one side ran on this walk,
but on the other side they bumped
along the ties. The bridge was swept
by high wind, and it was with diff
Guilty that Mrs. Patterson could make
her way along with the two children
To add to the terror of the situation Il
gust of wind eNtinguisled the lantern
The darkness was intense, and they
groped their way along slowly, tor
turcd 10y the fear that they would be
crushed or hurled from the bridge 10y
a train before they could reach place
of safety. They were nearly half an
hour in crossing it, and then they
through which they felt their way and
stumbled along, and when they finally
emerged from it they were almost
overcome with Joy to see light just
ahead of them. At the same moment
they heard IA whistle of an approaching
train. The horse was turned off the
track into the open space below the
cut which proved to be Il road, and Mr.
Patterson and the children followed il
to Il place of safety. They had not
gone twenty feet from the track when
coal train went rushing by them into
the cut.
Both Mr. Patterson and his wife
were so overcome with the sense O
their peril that it was some time before
they could proceed. When they were
able to 90 on they found that they
were at small station known IL
PaIen's switch. They had driven fol
a mile and half over the most danger
Gus portion of the JohnsOnburg eXten-
sion of the Erie railway, and had cross
ed the great Kinzua viaduct, the high
est railroad bridge in the world, whicl
spans the Kinzua ravine at a hight o
BOB feet above the creek. The via
duet is nearly half n mile long
Their escape from death was owing
solely to the stopping of the north
bound coal train mile below the rOcl
cut on account of Il hot journal. The
train was due ut the cut just us the!
were picking their way through it
HOward's hill was only four mile
from Palen's switch.