The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1886-03-03
OUR TRAVELLING MAN GETS
LEFT.

DUR TRAVELLING MAN GETS
LEFT.
it> ENrEmENrE ~ .fnE nlsitt Moeh-
NJ. -IIpN TIM NA~ rt N During
TnE BIIzktRp-A rfeNIr r\ErY ON
WALNUT nuI.-noW 4 GREAT RAIL
ROAD FIGHTS E, ne STORM.
One who spends a. much time on the
rail as wide awake commercial per-
suader . should i, sure Ia be caught out I
in blizzard once in Il while While
have been spared a good many of the mis-
fortunes of this class | had no right to
suppose that should always run clear
and didn't assure ypn Last winter |
when | got caught At VIM and lost near |
ly Il whole day VA, nearly distracted but
just now Is am recovering from four
days vacation am IL calm and cool a,
Cleveland ever WAS when refusing the re-
quests of Maine Democrats. Il va, quite
4 novel experience Ia me and must give
Il little account of my Wandcrings left
Boston on Frida, naau intending to reach
SkoWheg saturday morning At Port
land tarritd in tine midst of IA severe
storm that had Just turned from rain to
cold drifting SNOW When it came time
for the Pullman iu ba,e word came that
the storm Wa ~ severe that Mr. Tucker
had decided To eauec alItrain> Word
came also that thu train would leave AT
Is saturday morning Ny companion,
Mr.. C. H. Nelson the proprietor of sun
nysidc farm. WalcrKillr. 8he was just re-
turning from hi, trip to- Florida. suggest
ed that there Wa- "A fine chance To get
nights rest and let it storm. approved
of his suggestion and w retired under
the broad roof of the Falmouth hotel.
The next morning We rushed for the de-
pot when We heard of the troubles that
the several trains had experienced the
night before. Five engines had left the
IRON" and were either
or rcposing peacefully upon their sides
and laurcl>. 1t was nearly half past six
clock before the long train pulled its
snow capped length out from the depot.
A. Capt. Mitchell, the genial station
agent swung himself aboard to 20 to his
home at WOodfords | asked him what
the out hook was. He shook his head and
said significantly bad. That disturbed
me aud began to ply him with questions
which would have been rather leading I
| had not known him long and we'll He
told me that Conductor AndersOns train
that left Portland the noon before had
got stranded at Monmouth owing to a
freight train of the track at Winthrop
and that there was
40 KNOWING WHEN He CorLp BR cor
STARTED
Well. we went on to Cumberland June
ton where a long wait was ndugcd in
for orders for all trains where run on tel
cgraph orders from station to station.
i \, we left Cumberland for the back route
We had Il SNOW plOw, three engines, a bag
i gage car, IL postal car II Pullman, "A smok-
er, and three passenger cOachcs--a long
train for stormy day. Right at the
start we encountered monster of IA drift
spreading across the tracks of both the
upper and lower roads. At the second
trial the impeachment was surnountcd and
we began to climb the heavy grade to
Walnut Hill station. The snow WAS fall
ng fast and fierce wind was whirlng it
i about with terrible force, As we passed
along kept recalling what Capt Mitchell
i had said and also word that Train Dis
i patchcr Hall had sent to the man in charge
of the snow pillow, to the effect that there
was
fCE oN THE RAILS Al GRAY
When within half mile of Walnut
/ Till station the train took Il leap aN
/ though an obstacle had been encountered
and then in IL second it came to Il sudden
! stop, the shock nearly throwing the pas
scngcrS from their seats The old timers
knew at once what had happened and rs
they piled ont of the cars they were not
surprised to see that the engines and pillow
had jumped the track. There was a
scramble for the wreck to See who, if any
one, was injured The snow plow had
gone OF on the right hand side and was
reclining gracefully against telegraph
pole. 1t was badly used up. The engine
next to it had gone of into the ditch on
the left hand side and Engineer Lucas,
who for so many years came to SkOwhc-
gan, was the only man injured and his
troubles were very slight The next en-
CINE left the iron but did not tip over and
was not So badly injured. The engine
between the forward end of the train and
the scraper suffered the least of any but
her forward trucks were knocked askcw
and her forward part was driven INTO the
rear of the scraper. Well here we were
disabled in Il raging snow storm and hun
CRY enough to eat pig iron for tie paS>en-
gers were intending to take breakfast at
Lewiston. The conductor tclcgraphcd to
Portland for help and we waited There
were some 90 passengers on board and all
hands began to look about for something
to eat. Houses were scarce and far, far
away. The news boy saw his chance to
make Il dollar and he volunteered
TO nRAvE THE STORM FOR RATIoNs,
lie soon made his way to the house of
IL. \. Farwcll where he got n big milk
can full of tea strong enough to knock
out John l.. Sullivan and black enough
to be stronger, Il basket of crackers and
some cold meat. The tea was Just what
was wanted and it was dcvoured rapidly
rs were the rest of the ratiolIs. Mr. L.
c. Chase who is in business in Portland
soon came upon the scene with a plenti-
lul supply vi lipt Nbltci NbuS iiHhOSs lltS'
etc, etc Mr.. Chase received Il very
warm welcome. perhaps it was need
less to add that last Sentcncc.) He gave
us the cheering intelligence that we were
there to stop, ut least for "A while. We
doubted him more then than we did al
forwards.
Soon after noon Il train made up of
two powerful engines and two cars came
up to take us back to Cumberland June
ton. They had great trouble reaching
us and when once there, instead of help
ing us they were unable to even get out
themselves. So here was an addition to
our family and the storm increasing in
violence every minute. Then the relief
crew sent for more help to break the
lam. Word came back that Conductor
Chandler had started to our rescue with
with Il big crew of men. All the men who
could be raised were mustered to shovel
out big drift 50 he could reach Us. 1t
was u useless task. The men shoNcled
and shovelcd and the wind blew and
blew until finally it was plain that the
wind was the most numerous aud could
stand cold much better l he men were
badly frost bitten and their labors were
all in vain. \ sharp out look was kept