The Grenada gazette., 1886-01-23

neKS tTttknb hhius pooi
Stevens added. Just coming around
that curve, from behind the woods!'
"The train, long heavy one, was as
much as two miles of when we first
saw it, steaming ponderously along at
twelve or fifteen miles an hour; and we
were flying from the northeast to cross
it at sharp angle.
"'Now, l tell you, professor, we shall
20 pretty snug to 'em! exclaimed my
companion.
"'Yes, but we shall 60 high enough
over EN-, said l.
"I guess So said he looking down
at the ground a moment. Yes, we
shall clear 'em. And now for some
funr he exclaimed, seizing long horn
which I always kept in the car to blow
signal blasts when needed.
'On came the long train, putting up
a black cloud of coal smoke; and we
had now flown up to within hundred
rods of them; but saw that we should
cross the line little ahead of the loco
motive. The engineer and fireman
were staring at us. So were all the
brakemen standing on the cars plat
form.
''Stevens blew two loud blasts-Toot!
Too-oo-oot!
"'7oot tootr responded the locomo-
tive.
again my fellow-voyager gave them
fearful blast-a amocking signal for
them to down brakes, and give us the
right of way to cross the line.
/" Toot-toot-toot from the engine
which meant clear the line.
$50 intent were both of us watching
the train, that we never once saw nor
thought of the wires-the telegraph
wires. And when we went over the
track a little ahead of the engine, our
grapnel, streaming along behind and
beneath us, caught on the wires, and
stripping them clear of the posts and
and insulators, drew them right exact
ly across the oncoming locomotive!
They caught on between the whistle
and the smokestack. The wires were
strong. So was our rope. In an in
slant we were twitched after the en-
gine-the balloon lunging first almost
down to the ground, then up straight
over the tender!
"a loud shout and a volley of rail
way expletives rose from the engine,
and all along the train We hung OH
for dear lite. We had to cling with all
our might, the car lurched and swung
so furiously.
"'Cast off that grapnel, won't youP'
l shouted down to the engineer.
Shin down the rope, and cast it
off yourself!' yelled the fireman.
"'Yes, you're balloon man! cried
the engineer. Let's see you shin down
that line
"'Come now! Stevens called to
them, you may kill us. Slow up, and
let US unhook, won't youP'
"Can't do it, Behind time now!'
was all we could get out of the en-
gineer; and the brakemen were all
laughing and chatting us.
"They were a rough lot Of fellows.
and the novelty of the situation did not
seem to excite their wonder, but only
their ridicule.
lowell, cut the line!' exclaimed to
Stevens. I had managed to get my
knife out, and passed it to him, for he
was nearest the rope; and hanging on
with all his might, with his left hand,
he contrived to sa,o off the rope close
down to the hawse hole. We lunged
off into the air; and the train sped on,
with our hook and the wires hanging
to it. There was the hard old she'll of
a Dutch cheese lying amongst our bal
last. Ilet that shy at those grinning
brakemen as we flew apart! 1t fell
quite near one of them.
"The engine not only had our line
and grapnel hitched to it, but also six
or seven hundred feet of the wires, all
wound up and snarled on it.
"That was about the most exciting
ever had!
1--WE tossed out one other grapnel,
and finally landed in peach-orchard,
a couple of miles further on. mailed
a letter to the telegraph company, Of
fering to settle for the wires, but they
never sent me any bill. Although the
adventure seemed to excite so little
wonder among the men on the train,
their own GOODNESS has always been "a
source of wonder to me, though it may
be accounted for, I suppose, by the
fact of their scientific training."-
Youths Companion.