Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-03-07

ride. We sped past houses, stations and
fields and out of sight. almost like q
meteor, while the bystanders, who scarce
ly caught glimpse of us as we passed,
looked on as if in both fear and amaze
ment. 1t has always been wonder to me
that our locomotive and cars kept the
track at all, or how they could possibly
stay on the track. At times the iron
horse seemed literally to fly over the
ctnrse, tho driving wheels of one side
hsing lifted from the rails much Of the
distance over which we now sped with a
velocity fearful to contemplate. We took
little thought of the matter them
Andrews kept his watch in his hand,
seeming to notice nothing else, for time
was the only element in this part of our
problem, and he and Knight, who looked
on the same watch, always Joined
in declaring that the interval Of
nine miles between the two stations
was run in seven and half minutes;
and this not upon a magnificent road
with steel rails, as that road is today,
but over poor and neglected track! 1t
must, in candor, however, be allowed that
Andrews probably reckoned the interval
from losing sight Of Adatrsvfile until
coming in sight of Calhoun. When near
the two stations he would be otherwise
engaged, and thus the rate may have been
little over mile minute-surely enough
for all the fear, wonder and sublimity of
motion!
Our escape on this run was exceedingly
narrow. The passenger train had begun
to move out before we arrived, but it had
only Just got under way while we were
slackening up for the station. A minute
earlier in their starting would have ended
the raid. But seeing us coming, and our
whistle sounding out loud and peremp-
tory, they backed before us up the track,
and the proper officer obligingly opened
the switch to let US on the side track. Of
course this was done as much in the in
terest of the passenger train, which could
not 90 on till we were out of the way, rs
in ours.
. But they did not 60 on for some time
and we were obliged to await their move
ments. In backing they had gone far
enough, not only to give us room on the
side track, but also, as their train was a
long one, to completely block the far end
of it, and we could not proceed on the
main track until they should pull ahead.
Before doing this they naturally wanted
some explanation. The lateness Of the
regular train; our having Ful;ar's engine,
without him or any of his men; and not
least, the manner in which we had
swooped down upon them like some beast
Of prey, coming without any signal man
ahead at time when under railroad rules
they were entitled to the road-all this,
which only some most urgent occasion or
public calamity could excuse, called for
explanation. Andrews calmly told his
story, and the urgent need of ammunition
was felt to justify everything; and all the
questions were asked and answered that
are common among railroad men on meet
ing Yet Andrews would have talked
little and would have made very short
stop, had it not been for the manner IN
which the passenger train bound in his
own. We had good right to be uneasy
here, for we had not cut the wires between
this station and Adairsville because we
had not dared, in the terrible urgency OF
reaching Calhoun, to delay even for this
purpose. A question might come on the
wires at any moment which Andrews,
with all his adroitness, would not find it
easy to answer. Neither had we put any
distractions on the track. This latter
omission prepared the way for another
race against time, only less swift and fear
full than our own.
Thus we were again delayed. Andrews
tried gentle and indirect means to per-
suade the conductor of the passenger train
that it was perfectly safe for him to run
down and get to Adairsville before Full
ler's passenger train. But he was not
easily persuaded. The bare escape from
collision with our train had shaken his
nerves too much for him to wish at once
to repeat the experience. Neither did he
seem at all in a hurry to move his train
ahead and let us out on the main track;
but as his train was the only obstacle, it
would not have been long, had he contin-
ued obstinate, until the reserve force of
our party would have been brought into
requisition. 1t may be said here that An
drews was perfectly sincere in telling him
that there would be abundant time for
him to reach AdairSville before Fuller
with his train would be along. We did
not think that Fuller would be along
that day, and with his own train he was
not. But as matters were, if the Calhoun
man had allowed himself to be persuaded
to start southwark, fearful collision
would have ended all possibilities of pur
suit, and left us free to burn bridges at
our leisure. Here was another of the mar
row escapes made by the enemy. To un-
derstand this it is necessary to recur to
uller and Murphy, who were within two
or three minutes of Kingston when we
left that place.
They were terribly disappointed when
they found themselves stopped quite
long distance below Kingston by three
heavy freight trains, and learned in a
brief conversation with the engineer of
the nearest, and the persons who had run
down that way on hearing their whistle,
that their game had flown. They heard
with wonder how long the commander Of
the captured train had been held there,
and how he had succeeded in concealing
his real character. The formidable nature
of the enemy ahead was now clearly re-
vealed, but it looked for moment to
Fuller as if all his labor had been for
nothing, and that he would be able to
continue the pursuit only after ruinous
delay. To back all these trains up the
heavy grade so that he could get on the
side track, and then down again to get off
ut the upper end, would require an
amount of ''seesawing" that would give
the captors of his train hopeless start.
Here arose difference of opinion be-
tween Fuller and Murphy, who up to this
time had worked together in perfect
accord. Murphy ran ahead and cut loose
the New York, the new and good
engine of one of the freights, attaching it
to the car which had brought their tools
from Etowah. He then called to Fuller
to move the Rome engine back out of the
way that he might come round on the
"Y." But Fuller had different plans.
The Rome engine and train had stood
on its own track all this time waiting for
his coming; the n$S~
Rome branch led M&NSlSSA
into the main y NM
track above all az IA
the impediments. &A
Why not take that 49, - w
engine? No sooner n sS SGY
thought than eX- JN W
;:;';s; 81 g; a.: *: s. S:';:: i: i: 49,
foot race that day,
;:: !: J: 6; g. !: !:
already toward AxruoSy Mr,puv
Chattanooga with
only one car attached, and in the most
favorable position. There was abundance
,x>I 1f