The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-15
was anything worth seeing farther

was there we came near having dread tul accident two years ago, when one of the piers was carried away"
 We thanked him, and were moving on, when he added, "Perhaps you'd like to hear the story before you go down. It won't take long to tell It., and it's we'll worth telling, too."
 We were not so old yet that we were Ho; always ready for story, and we gladly sat down on tho grass be- side the track, and listened to the fol- lowing interesting narrative, which l give as nearly as possible in the flag mans own words:
 "If you should go on down the track" he began, "you will come to \ stone bridge, new one, because, two years ago this April, on dark, rainy night, the river rose and carried away the old one, which was partly wooden.
 There Is a train--an express-that goes through here every night in the year, except Sunday nights, at nine o'clock and thirty. five minutes. It does not stop st the station, but comes straight on down here, and over the bridge, and away from Boston. Two years ago 1t was part of my business to go up and down the track every night, to see If the track was In con- dition for that train to 20 through. My boy has to do 1t for me now.
 "On this particular night took my lantern,-I always took rcd one. SO as to have 1t In case should need to signal the train--and, calling my dog. started off down the track about half an hour before the train was due. It was very dark, but it's about as easy to walk on the track at one time as an- other, and went on at pretty rapid gait. All of sudden l felt the ground giving way beneath me, and knew was going down.
 "I dropped my lantern, and tried to save myself, but there was nothing to got hold of, and In an instant l felt myself going faster and faster. And then l seemed to lose breath, and strike with great violence aSains: something solid, after which must have become inseDslbie.
 "It was hours after that awoke, to find myself lying in my own bed at home. It seemed that the first pier of the bridge had been carried away, and had walked off the cmbankment on this side. It was by ono of Gods wonderful mercies that in some way had been caught among the fallen timbers below in such a way as to save me from drowning, though, AS 1t was, 1t cost me dear. My spine was l an tniu raI hu fhn Nni1 4has A.,,n never walked step since.
 "One of the first things l asked, when was able to talk ot the matter, was about the train. Joe Varnish, the engineer of the express locomotive, who was off duty while the bridge was down, was by me at the time, and told me the story.
 "'How comes 1t that you are here, Joe, instead of at the bottom of the river, you and the whole train," asked.
 "He looked at me with queer look & moment, and then he stopped over and took up from the floor red lan- tern. l knew 1t the moment l saw 1t, as the one had carried that night, and remembered dropping 1t as be. gan to fall.
 "It's that that saved us ? said he.
 "I was puzzled both at his manner and at what he said, but l was more puzzled-and startled, too-when he went on to explain:
 "'We were coming down the road a little late, full drive, at forty i've miles an hour said he, and had Just passed the station, and had whistled for the crossing, when caught sight ahead of us, and not a great way of either, of . danger signal, the red light. It was right in the middle of the track, and evidently approaching, moving up and down quickly, as though the man who carried it was running with all his might.
 "'Of course, reversed, and whisfled down the brakes in an instant and 1t wasn't half minute, maybe, before we came to standstill, with the light now almost upon us. And almost be- fore we were fully stopped, jumped down and ran ahead to meet 1t, and learn what was the matter.
 ".It was some rods ahead yet, and l could still see it swinging from side to side, as though the person bringing 1t had now slackened his pace to walk.
 IA second later 1t seemed sia- tionary, and seemed to be waiting for me to come up. As came close upon 1t, you may imagine my astonishmens to find 1t set down in the middle of the track, and not so1, to be seen anywhere around.
 "T spoke, snd then called aloud and then shouted, but got no response. And before this, I had not heard any sound or footfall. And when, . mo- ment later, the conductor and some of the trainmen came up with lights, we seA rched mt and rfntA mt N ud auv