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


AN APPALLING STRUGGLE.
Once more we were on board and away!
We would soon know whether we were to
have clear track at Adairsville or to re-
peat the vexatious and dangerous expert
ence of Kingston. Once more the engine
was given full force; we in the box car
were thrown from side to side, sometimes
a little roughly; but this did not diminish
our joy over the rapid motion which was
ssdevouring' the distance between US and
our friends in Tennessee! AS we came in
sight of the station, there to our great
satisfaction lay the freight train, which,
indeed, had long been waiting for US,
as we were now half hour behind
the time of Fuller's passenger train, and
also waiting for the morning passenger
train from Chattanooga, which should
have overtaken the freight at this point,
but which was also late. Indeed, the
panic in Chattanooga and the extra trains
on the road had disordered the whole
schedule and enormously increased our
difficulties. AS we came near the sta
ton, speed was slackened and we stopped
on tho main track beside the through
freight. Andrews at once answered the
usual storm Of questions and asked others
in turn. He heard still more of Mitchel's
operations, how he seemed to have
captured all their trains on the western
road, so that for twenty-four hours not a
car had got through, and that the tele-
grams were being interrupted further and
further up the road, so that, from every
indication, he was coming to Chattanooga.
But Andrews was still more interested in
asking news Of the down passenger train,
which was now half an hour late. No in
formation was received, but the freight
conductor. had determined to run on south
on the arrival Of Fuller's train, in har-
mony with their rule Of railroading at
that time, by which a following train was
to be waited for only a certain length OF
time, after which the waiting train had
the right to proceed. Andrews approved
Of that intention, saying that Fuller with
the regular train would probably wait for
him at Kingston. Andrews might have
held this train here by giving message
as from Fuller, but he preferred to get rid
of it, so that if compelled to back before
the belated passenger, it might not be in
the way; and if compelled to fight, the
fewer Of the enemy the better: otherwise
its running down to the place Of the bro
ken rail was undesirable. The conductor
said to Andrews:
"You of course will remain here until
my passenger train comes, and tell them
to overhaul me at Kingstonw
ssNo," returned Andrews, II must &C
at once! the fate Of the army hangs on my
getting promptly through with those car
loads Of ammunition. Suppose the Yam
KEGS attack Beauregard! He has not pow
der enough for three hours fight"
This was q startling possibility, and
forgetting all about Mitchell being in the
way, the conductor (the men on both sides
had heard the conversation, but had not
Joined in it) patriotically said:
"Get through by all means; but you
will have to run very slow and put flag
man out on every curve, or you will have
collision"
Andrews answered quickly: ~ will
attend to that;" stepped on his own engine
and motioned to Knight, who was still at
the throttle. The latter, hearing the words
about running slowly, had put Oh the
steam in gradual manner, and the engine
glided away at moderate rate of speed.
But this was not to last; neither was
any fagman to be sent ahead; there had
been delays enough. The time had come
when it was wise to take terrible risk.
We dared not wait for the passenger train
because of the pursuers we had heard, and
of the freight which had started toward
the break; and we must reach the station
above before the passenger started out!
From Adairsville to Calhoun, the next
station that had side track, is a little
more than nine miles. The road runs di-
rectly north, is almost straight, and but
little removed from level; this is the most
favorable stretch for running en- the whole
line. Andrews said to his comrades: "Make
her show how fast she can 60; every Sec
ond saved in getting to Calhoun counts"
The effect of giving such orders to men
whose nerves had all morning been thrill
ing with suppressed fire may be imagined!
The engine was in the finest running con-
dition. knight had oiled it carefully dur
ing the long waiting at Kingston: and
again, in part, at Adairsville, and a heavy
pressure of steam had accumulated during
the pause at the latter station. Now the
full force Of the mighty power was turned
on at once, while Gil was poured on sticks
and these fed into the furnace. The three
cars and twenty men were no load for the
powerful engine, and it sprung to its work
with shock that nearly took every man
from his feet! The race against time which
followed was grand and terrible. The en-
gine seemed to be not so much running as
coursing with great lionlike bounds along
the track, and the spectacle from the loco
motive as it rose and fell in its ceaseless
rapid motion, while houses, fields and woods
rushed by, was wonderful and glorious,
almost worth the risk to enjoy! In the box
car we were thrown from side to side and
jerked about in manner that battles
description. The car was so close to the
engine that it felt every impulse of power
and there was no following train to steady
it. Many times we were startled with the
momentary conviction that we were or
the track; but there was no cessation of
our rapid flight. We hardly knew what
it meant, and though we pushed our door
partly open, the risk of being thrown out
was too great to permit us to open it wide;
and gazing at the panorama that fitted
by, with lightning like rapidity, we could
gain no clew to this frantic and perilous
chase, for there was no indication of fol-
lowing train that we could perceive.
There was no danger of being seen in the
opening of our door, for the rapid flight of
the train would have attracted all the at
tention that anything upon the car could.
Andrews scarcely looked ahead while
making this run. Brown and knight,
however, did keep sharp lookout, sim
ply for the purpose of seeing when we
came near the station that they might
shut off steam and be able to stop there.
They had no hope of reversing or stop
ping, If they saw the belated passenger
train approaching. AS we'll try to reverse
q cannon ball in its flight! If the train had
started out from Calhoun before We came
In sight, it was simply and inevitably
death for every one of us; and the people
of the other train would not have Jared
much better.
Our fireman, J. A. Wilson, very graph
ically describes this fearful effort to con-
quer time:
"Our locomotive was under full head
of steam. The engineer stood with his
hand on the lever, with the valve wide
opcn 1t was frightful to see how the
powerful iron monster under us would
leap forward under the revolutions of her
great wheels. Brown would scream to
me ever and anon, Give her more wood,
Alf.' which command was promptly
obeyed. She rocked and reeled like q
drunken man, while we tumbled from
side to side like grains of popcorn in a hot
irving pan. 1t was bewildering to look ut
the ground on objects on the roadside. A
constant stre}m of fire ran from the great
wheels, and to this day shudder as re-