The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-02-26
HELENA, ARK, LETTER.
THE political CAULDRON BE.
CLAIMING To BOIL.
Judge Cate 90 Oppose POindexter
Dunn - Fletcher 20 Oppose
Hughes for Governor.
iooRREsPoKDENcE OF ruE APPrAL.l

HELENA, ARK, February 24.-Th
political cauldron OF Arkansas ma
begun to boil. The news is waited {,
us that Judge Cate of Jonesboro, Ark.
is going to oppose the Hon. Poindex
ter Dunn for Congress from the Firs
District. Judge III. n. Hutton of Ma
rianna, one of the most profound law
yers in Eastern Arkansas, has formal
ly announced himself as a candidat,
for circuit judge of this district, com
posed Of the counties OF Phillips
Lee, st. Francis, Woodruff. White
Monroe and Prairie counties.
From all parts of the State the rum
bling Of the approaching candidates
can be heard. Gov. Simon p
Hughes, as an executive, has given
eminent satisfaction to the people Of
the State, and there is but little prob.
ability that he will have an opponent,
unless the many warm friends Of that
eminent gentleman, Col. John G.
Fletcher OF Little Rock, persuade him
to become such. There is no doubt
but that the colonel is about the only
man that could stand the ghost of a
show against Gov. Hughes for sec
ond term. Col. +. b. Moore, Secre-
tary OF State, and Treasurer Woodruff
will hardly have any opponents. A
number OF gentlemen in different
parts of the State are being groomed
for the other State positions.
The Helena Chamber of Commerce
have extended invitations to the Lou
isville, New Orleans and Texas and
the Illinois Central railroad officials to
visit Helena for the purpose of con-
sulting with our citizens upon the
feasibility OF placing transfer here.
An engineer on the main line of
the Iron Mountain and Southern rail-
way related TO us an experience that
we presume has few parallels in rail-
road history. He was pulling the
north-bound passenger some four
weeks ago, during the intensely cold
spell of January, and the train was
about two hours late. Instructions
were received to make up as much
time rs possible in order to make st.
Louis connections. The rest is better
told in the engineers own language:
Il had on good big head of steam,
and was forging along at the rate of,
forty miles an hour. llportions of the
road over which we were travelling
were as familiar to me as my own
room. We were rushing down big
grade that | knew was near q small
river that had, however, a magnificent
steel bridge spanning it, and we never
thought of Stacking up for it. On the
banks OF the river was a railroad tank,
but as had plenty of water there was
no need of my stopping. AS | neared
the river / instructed the fireman to
fire up, as just beyond the river we
had a steep grade to pull over. He
was shoveling in the coal, and kept
a good lookout ahead but imagine
my horror when, within twenty feet
OF the bridge, to see great white bulk
stretched across the track. l felt my
hair raise ON my head and at the
same time one of the most peculiar
ever felt in my life to
thrill through me. By the time
could reverse my engine and put on
the brakes the object had been reached
and the engine went dashing over it.
" called out to my fireman to look
out for himself, as we were going to
the bottom. Realizing that if he
Jumped off it would be certain death,
threw out my hand, and caught him
lust in the act of plunging headfore-
most into the river. The engine stuck
% the track, however, and came to a
'tandstill just across the bridge. / |
,alled up the conductor, and we went
pack to the bank to see what the OBJ |
ect was. We found that train,
iome time during the night, had taken
m water and failed toshut off the
'alve. The contents of the tank had |
)een emptied on the track, which had |
become frozen as hard as adamant. ,
overing the rail fully eight inches.
"The heavy locomotive, as it passed
yer the ice, made but little impress
ion upon it, and surely there was
providential that guided
ny train over the ice, for you must
that the ice did not break
r scale off. The flanges of the heavy
made an indenture in
he ice about the size of my finger.
he baggage, mail and express cars,
hree passenger coaches and three
'ullman sleepers, all full OF people.
1llowed in the groove cut out by the
eavy driying-wheel | never pass
yer the place now without a
hudder and feeling the peculiar sem
alton of that night shooting through
he. The strangest part of the bust
ess was that the momentum of the
ngine was sufficient to shoot it square
head. | firmly believe that if we had
cen going our regular schedule rate,
genty miles an hour, instead of forty,
nat my bones would have been at the
ottom OF that river now.
"Not one of the passengers knew
ow near they had been to the brink
{ horrible death. l have been on
lie road eighteen years, and consider
rat the closest call ever had"
We see your Jonesboro correspond
ut, in speaking of the Rev. K. w.
Iinfield of the Arkansas Methodist,
aces him as editor of the Artdnsd,0
raueIer, but won't Opie Reed, that
rince of humorists, howl, though,
hen he sees that2
At last there is a possibility of Hell
IA having postoffice building of her
Tn. There has been a bill intro
need before Congress asking an APP
'opriation TO that end.
The Helena Chamber of Commerce
ill properly.memorializeC re-
'ecting the same.
A wonderful Freak or Nature