The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-08-07

Staunch old 49,"
And though her engineer was the best on tho
OLong. bearded Ben Deene),
She wouldn't make steam.
SO lie couldn't make time.
As u maddened Mt this,
Her every valve seemed TO humanity whine |
Or alternately hiss,
And every pnuue
Boiled with scalding rage, |
passionate writhing wrenched all her !
As she clutched the curves.
Her maddened wheels shricked and pierre
ingly crcaked.
and groaned
That the hill was so long and so crooked and
That where she would leap
She must creep.
Kissing whitc.hot steam snorting black hot
On struggling, yet lagging,
As II she was dragging
Heavy manacing gives or bnil OF shame;
Her headlight. eye burned into the night,
As some infuriate monsters might
IL chained 'gainst IL victim secure
in flight.
Thus racked, painting and growing, she
OF the summit Ira Trade LEI Mt t' the "summit shop"
Here the schedule said "stop
For water and coal-oil mp and inspect
The trains running gear and look close for
defects"
From this point down on the
western side
For nineteen miles-twelve near the rivers
side
The track was rs straight US arail.
way can be
IT'LL 1t renched n sharp curve near leaning
Here the engineers always said: NOW let
And made up the time
Perhaps lost on the climb.
The signal was given. Refreshed to a zest
ODD "Sp' started
Once more to the west
And down this straight spin, called tho
"DevilS Run" darted
Being an hour behind
She sped by springs, rushes and glides Mt
Tint made night race
'Twixt an ogre of flame and phantom winged
winds.
With cyclones rush, yet with scarcely
Down the "run" she flew with her thirteen
cars,
Her driving wheels looking like million.
surgnY on o er the ground with loud thrum-
ming bounds
Ran this metal -muscled and steam drinking
At every crossing her ghostly bell
Changed sharply once Ike dirge or n kneii:
Curled OF through the air, or enveloped the
Like its roar.
When the fireman opened the fire box door
crimson zone leaped from that flaming
Through the frosty depths of the boreal air
With q ghastly glare, ,u,,. ,
ran with the train
But to crouch when the furnace was closed
On she flashed, dashed and crashed through
open and wood,
On she swished with swift swirls past the
houses that stood
Apart in still fields or close clustered in
Into novels and mansions, through switches
Her hoarse whistles shricked fendish yells
like the Hates,
From ashpan ana stack
Buck along the steel track,
In blazing red road, like u tire path in hell.
with hand on the lever, her brave engineer
peered into the night
Through the dancing arc OF her yellow mead
light:
Every muscle alert
With vigtlant care untrouOied by
To make up his time without. mshaps or
He at last struck the curve near the "Lean-
ing Oak"
Hadaiust leaned out, proudly patting her
10 TOY Whisper "You firt~
Had just said to the fireman: "Jack, she's
When an axle broke
On her forward truck;
She reeled Tor second Us II she were
''"'Hi Then began to thump.
And to bump, hump and jump
Over the live oak ties, Us II they were
stumps.
Deene set the air brakes; he reversed: gave
Then grasping her throttle
AS n drunkurd n bottle
And his hand were Il vice.
saw below him the river
Half filled with tioe Ice.
How, her speed sends her smashing on ove'
Will she never stopG How she shakes ant
How every inch of his train seems to culver
No! u % glance back tells him each car runs III
Aslt did on the upward side o
Good Only the engine is off the
track
But she's off TO the right! Great God
Where the deep iced river rides.
"Here, Jack! climb this tank! Quick u
light, man, get back,
And pull that pin
When l reverse again.
Or when she goes over she'll pull em all In.
Stumbling over the wood, clambering owe
As the engine limped, then staggered, nov
rolled, .
Jack Ford, pulled the pin, just as "sa
down. into the stream with hlssin
plunge. w
hut s there stood athe cars as still as
At some signal switch when a red light
dropped.
The fireman stood on the baggage cur steI
Peering into the stream
Where the engine leapt,
As we fxedly stare In some aching dream.
What is that creeps slowly over the tank
From the half frozen flOodI
Then crawls like u worm ON the stony bank
'Tis the engineer covered with Ice While III
Flows fast through cruel cash in hi
That Is horribly red.
but his great. steadtast soul, supreme till
Illumined the blood as he whispered: "Jael
Get a red light somewhere; quick, run up th
Thnk-the east bound express-Im all rigl
hurry back"
Daene lay down between them, In froze
liz had saved two trains
Ano babes, fair maidens, fond mother
strong men, "
Slept unwounded OF blood.
When the Omnipotent Ken
Scans eternity's realms to give crowns
And the ss angel of records calls "Deene, Ell