Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-06-28
A HOT CHASE.
BY AN EX-ENGINEER.
Youths Companion.

l AOG1A NOaAptsA
A locomotive engineer and
civil engineer are two very diiferen
persons, for one has charge of ;
locomotive engine, and the Othe
has charge of, and controls, n variet.
Of instruments. First is the tran
sit, then the level, the levelingrOti
the flag, chains, axes and stakes, al
in charge. of competent men. Al
engineering party, to do good wOrl
ten persons.
The chief of the party usually goel
ahead and picks cut the route th'
Others are to follow, and often take,
a flag pole along with him. Stick
ing this into the ground, he wavei
his hand for the Others to "cOmG
.aheatt," )" aud the transitinan sets hi
instrument in that direction, and
causes the vertical crOsS-hAir III the
telescope to cut the pole. optically
| in two. ~ ns-5 s.av ssa5st a. = Vt~Gsl q
But am afraid some readers may
not know what cross.hairs are
Most OF you know the principle Of
telescope an object glass collects Z
large number. Of rays OF light and
concentrates them, aud d lens, ol
n series of lenses, Inagnitits them.
| That ia the simple principle, and In
transity or level. just where the
object glass f0rnIs the image and
the eye piece nlagnities it, there are
two cObWehs, sd fine that the unaid-
ed eye can hardly see them, stretch.
ed across round brass ring, AT
right angles with each other, one
perfectly vertical and one horizon.
tai. The point where they cross
each other is the exact center of the
lens. 81
These are the crnss-hdtrS, and they
are on the optical axis of the instru-
ment. With their aid u straight
line Can be prolonged any distance,
or i'm level, the difference. in ell
ovation, between two points can be
determined to the thOusandth part
OF a foot, provided the operator and
instrument be in good order, and II
the rodman, who holds Il iointed
pole graduated TO one thousantith
OF a foot, understands his business.
To explain the working of an
engineering party would be tedious
aud unintere5ting To many, and ils
that has nothing to do with my stO-
ry, / will not do so.
Instead OF that, imagine me and
my rodman running line Of levels
from stream Of water TO Il new
railroad, TO see whether there was
elevation enough to force il into the
tank, and the rest of the "party"
miles away. busy at something.
That was the very thing l was
doing one day on the Northern
Pacific Railroad (it was not that
railroad, but it is a handy one to
use on this occasiOn.)
The stream OF water was two
miles away from the new track
and that morning we had ridden
from our boarding place, ten miles
east, on little hand-car. The
grade there was a descending one,
westward, for LONG distance, and
all we,ltad t0do, when going in that
direction, WIS to sit still and fly
along over the new rails. ...... q
About five miles further west n
large gang Of men were working,
laying track and the smoke Of the
engine on the CONSTRUCTION train"
was plainly visible across the untiu-
lating prairies. s,a
George and therefore, did not
feel lost or alone, and we work
ed hard all the morning and ate our
lunch i'm the cool shade OF the tank
house, just finished. AS we had
nothing more to do that day, 1
TO put the truck on the
track, after we were done eating,
ride down to the track layers, and
return with them ON the fiat car
that evening. a 7tltm. Ht. =.
But / was hungry and ate
great deal, and then began to feel
strangely. drOwsy; the last thing I
rememb Der before I fell asleep, was
George standing by the level in the
hot sun, and looking through il at
the hills east OF US. AL. .-rsf t..ssn- al
/ cannot say how long ] dozed,
for was startled SO suddenly AS To
'.jog" my memory to an alarming
extent.
INDIANS p I heard some one
cry and began 10 rub my eyes
sleepiiy. aaalHzs e, issssn..slsF.re 4
d. But I did not rub them long, for
/ saw George throwing the truck on
the track, in u state OF great excite
inent. | was al his side In an in.
slant, and a quick glance around
showed me the true state Of things.
Eastward, about u mile distant
were five mounted Indians, riding
toward us at full: speed. AZ the
camp had several times been raided
during the mems absence. had no
doubt that they were hostile. |
was not excited as George was.
however, for ! put my level and
leveling-rod and two spruce tics on
the car before showed of. aff
The rails were new and r.,ugh,
and the hand.car was not worn /
much yet, but as ! jumpetl on, |
fell it gaining speed down the.
straight track, and / arranged the
two ties in the form OF barricado.
Then / looked back.
The five Indians evitiently meant
! usincss, for they were coming IA
fast as they could toward US. and
were gaining upon US; and when
heard George moaning as he
cr0uchCd behind the ties, did moi
feel very cheerful or hopeful.
reached Tor my revolver in my hip
ptNk eft and examined its charges as
coully as could There we're sew
en- large-siZed cartridges im il, and
the zip OF bullet by my cars at
that moment showed me that
might have To use thcnl. | also
crUuched behind the ties after this
warning, and hooked cautiously y
over the top at our purstlrrs. n
They gained neatly half the dis
tance during tho first five minutes,
but the increasing quickhess 6f the
click of the wheels at the JOINTS
of tho rails gave me Il little hope az
/ watched them. As to George, he
was so terrified az to be unroiIsciuu~;
but IA long lite of engineering upon
the plains had hanlehrd me ALT
tie; neither WAS this my first advciI-
ture.
The sun poured down on us, and
but for our motion, IL would have
prostrate,t us /; the wind was blow
ing the same way that We were
going, but we were moving faster
than 1t, and this gave us II faint
BREATH Of air. took off my iigh,
coat and formed Shatie over
George, who MAS helpless. and look
ed ahead. ,,.st - 5.sr, - ,-t,
Far away, through the moving
waves OF heat. I could see the
81