West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-06-07
ON THE TRAIN.
a STORY on rnE anrAr nL1zzAnn

STORY or THE GREAT BLIZZARD.
''It's no use, ladies and gentlemen. we
can go no farther We have done the
best we know" said the conductor in
tones that he meant to be ordinary and
commonplace, but which had an ill-con
ccaled ring OF apprehension in them, de-
spite his eiort. "lou can make your
selves as comfortable as you can, and in
Two or three hours an engine will be
started from the other end OF the road TO
help us out, he continued, aud passed on
to the eng ne.
This was provoking. There was
whole train load Of people, fully ten miles
from bennington, on little branch road
IN New Jersey, stopped by the snow.
At the conductors announcement, some
OF the men arose from their cas-. and
leisurely walked out afterthe conductor.
with look of intense disgust on their
faces. The lady passengers shivered as
they looked out of the windows at the
swiftly flying snow, and declared it was
too bad. Each expressed his individual
opinion to his neighbor, and seemed to
ease his mind in so doing, some com.
plalnin9y, some laughiugy. the great
majority good humoredly, and trying to
make themselves as comfortable as pos
slble, settled down to wait how long
they did not know.
The conductor went ahead to the en-
gine and climbed up into the cab /:
''Well, jim, what the outlook. Can't
you drive old Seventy through itP'
"No, George, it's no 90 thS bank
ahead is fully five feet deep and there is
no doubt but that there is fully fftcea
feet OF snow in the cut, and we're in for
IT and no mistake. 10 back out is out Of
the question, as the first car would be
of the track before it had gone hun
dred feet; the storm is increasing every
moment, and unless they miss us at the
other end of the road and send out help,
there is no knowing when we will be
out of this"
VERY we'll Jim, well make the best
we can Of it; this is not as bad as a
smashup. Blow the whistle every few
moments, so il an engine should be on
the road looking for US they will not run
us down. III go back among the pas
sengcrs"
The three coaches Of the train proba-
bly, contained $50 passengers. on their
way from Pennington TO Bound
Brook About thirty-iiye OF them were
young ladies on their way to school. and
their lively chatter. with their frequent
bursts of merry laughter, showed that
they we're not very sorry that the train
was stuck in o great, nasty, cold snow
driit The hours wore slowly along and
the storm was increasing in furry in
stead OF abating, and the wind terribly
cold, had increased TO blow a gale The
hour OF noon came and went. but no
assistance for the showed in travellers
Some ono asked the brakeman TO put
more coal on the fire, as the car was get.
ting cold. The brakeman shook his head ,
and IN an aside TO the n scnger said that
the coal was nearly all gone. The cry
for coal came from all The cars, and soon
the last bit OF coal was gone The siiua-
tion began TO look desperate, and the
men gathered IN tho baggage car 10 talk
il over away from the women so as not TO
arouse their fears any more than possible.
All suggestions were quickly proven i'm.
practicable, there was no way out At
last some one said, "wcll. we need not
freeze TO death, we arc standing i'm the
woods get axes and I'il be one to 90
out aud cut wood, and another party can
20 in search Of some hou G whore we can
get food. A search through the train
brought to light two axes, and party OF
five started out into the woods two
worked 40 cutting down, while the others
dragged the wood 20 tho train In this
way The fires in the cars were soon going
again though it kept the two axes work
ing lively TO cut enough wood but there
was no lack OF hands, as tho men were
willing aud anxious TO work The party
that started out in search of q farm house
was not so successful After three hours
trmpiug through The cold and snow,
they were forced 60 return, unsuccessful,
to the train, cold, weary and hunQrier
than ever, though lhcfe was not a. man
among them who would acknowledge
that hc was The least bit hungry "It
was for thc sake Of the ladies you know "
Aud so the night closed in around them.
the wind howling, the drifts getting
dcepcr every moment,