The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1883-11-12
Saving the Train.

Saving the Train.
The following communication
reached us on Saturday after seem
ing delay of several days. AS itseem!
| to possess features that may be Of in
ferest to our readers we publish it.
notwithstanding that it is little
stale:
| On the train at Eagle Butte, Sun.
day Evening. Nov. 4. 1883.-Eagle
Butte, he it known to those who do
not know it already, is huge bluff or
butte forming the bank of the Yellow
stone at point about two miles west
of Glendive. Unlike the bluffs farther
up the river it is composed not of
sandstone, but of gumbo or hardpan.
Before the appearance of the North.
ern Pacific construction force it over
hung the river almost perpendicularly,
but by dint of hewing down from the
front and dumping into the river be-
low a shelf has been formed around
which the railway winds with the
Yellowstone far below and the treach.
erous mud cliff rising few hundred
feet above. This evening when we
reached here. the vigorous and excit.
ed waving of lantern warned the en-.
gineer to stop his train, which he did
just in time to avoid running into a
heavy slide from above. The lantern
was in the hands OF one of three little
boys-brothers, named Coleman
ranging in age from eight to twelve
years, who live across the river from
here. They had seen the slide before
night, crossed the stream, and await
ing here alone in the cold and dark
ness. had saved the train from what
might easily have been bad wreck.
You have all read stories of the boy
or the girl who saved the train with
the lives of every m. TIERS child on
board, and how the passengers gather.
ed around and ''chipped in" till they
made up pile that saved the boys
sick father from death or enabled the
girl to get married, and how the
companys officers gave the youthful
hero or heroine s'posish'' that meant
future affluence! We have NJ doubt
that such sequences come to the sur.
face constantly in various parts of the
world, or they would not be told so
constantly in the Sunday school books,
because everyone knows that what
appears in the said volumes must be
strictly authentic. But, strange to
say, it did not result exactly in that
way in this instance. Montana is a
good country-very good-but evil
de0tly it is a miserably poor field in
which to locate the scenes of Sunday
school stories. Instead of thanking
God for their escape and investigating
their clothes for contributions toward
a reward fund of several thousand
dollars, the passengers got out to view
the obstruction. smoked cigars. and
talked in q careless, profane sort Of
way about what might have occurred
if ''them kids had not got there, but
did not yield up single nickel. That
the result should be so different from
what the children's books had led me
to expect has discouraged me terribly
in regard to the moral standard of
Montana. The railroad company is
liable to do something handsome, how.
ever. G. K. Barnes, the general ticket
agent, was on the train, and he told
the boys they should .'hear from him
when he got home.'' In the fullness
of his heart he is almost sure to send
the little fellows half flare permit. or
as valuable. But laying
aside all foolishness, these sturdy, in
Montana boys, who appar.
emily think little Of what they have
done, are entitled to all that General
Barnes kindly spoken words seem to
promise them.
The conductor of the train walked |
down to Glendive and summoned help, |
and now a gang Of men are clearing
the obstruction, and in an hour or two
we shall be released. It is probable
that in future the officers Of the road |
will consider it advisable to station a |