River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-11-22
MIRACULOUSLY SAVED
Prom Railroad Disaster, Lightning
and Midnight Assassination.

An intenseIy-hot and breathless sum
mer day brOOded over the fields and
mountains OF New York State Seated
in one Of the leading cars Of the after
noon express train on the FreightsviIle
Brigh,sburg railway, ! was speed
ing along. half asleep and extremely
warm, suffering all the discomfort
which dust and neat and flies combine
70 bestOw upon the summer traveller
An old lady opposite me was nodding
over the pages Of an illustrated paper,
while a dissipated-lookin- young man
beside her was chewing tobacco, and
was. apparently. lost in thought, The
crying Of a young baby from the fur
Their end Of the car mingled vaguely
with my dreams. We were nearing
the station where we were 10 take sup
per-a small town known az Claynor.
Bumpityl bump. bump, bump The
motion of the cars had changed with a
horrible suddenness. Startled broad
awake by the change. and too old a
railroad traveller not 10 know what IL
portended, ] gazed out Of the window
with alarmed intcn-ness. The cars
were of the track I knew too
well. We were running at fuil
speed. and the road lead alongside
Of narrow stream down whose pre-
cipit0us banks we might in another
moment be- hurled. I saw the car in
front Of the one in which we sat sway
and toTple as though about 10 fail over.
III il did 50. a general wreck and ruin
would ensue Still bump. bump. bump.
went the car-wheels over the sleepers.
The he motion Of the train slackened.
grew slower still. and finally il came
TO astand-stiI. Who were saved.
Goodness gracious, what are we
stopping fOr2' asked The stout lady.
looking up from Ter pictorial paper.
Twenty minutes for refreshments,
ma am answered the youth beside
her. He was pale as death. as was
natural for one who had just looked
death in the face, for he had fully con-
pretended our peril, but even in that
moment the strange reckIessness
which is one of our national charac-
teristics had come uppermOst.
As soon as the danger we had es-
capped became generally known, there
was a universal chorus of cries and
EXPLANATIONS. some OF terror others of
surprise, and some few OF thauksgiv-
ing. In the midst OF it all most of the
passengers started to get out of the
ears To look over the wreck. We
found the engine and tender half way
down the cmbaukment The foremost
ear had lodged against a small tree,
whose tough. tenacious roots, running
down the bank aud spreading through
tho earth, had enabled It to check the
onward motion Of the train. already
slackeued by the breaking OF the coup
ling that attached the engine to it.
Humaoly speaking. that tough little
tree had saved the lives OF possibly
One-half Of the passengers in the train.
As j. was, nobody was hurt save one
unfortunate boy who had been stealing
a ride. perched upon the step of one Of
the foremost ears, and h. was past
either surgery or prayers
As l stood gazing upon the engine.
standing on its head in the mud, we'll
known voice sounded in my ears. a
friendly slap tiugled ON my shoulder
well Brooks. can this be you?
Were we feIlOw-passeugers without
knowing ito
Istarted, turned. and warmly grasped
the hand that was extended towards
me
How does the learned physician?
Well. this Is a strange rcnconter. And
where have YOU been this hot weather.
in the name Of wonder2 Rusticating
among the mountains. eh9'
No; I have been 10 Bright-burg on
professional business. = stomach To
be analysed a man accused Of having
poisoned his wife
And was It true bill2"
That / can not say; that is not my
business 20 decide. Ny business was
10 look for arsenic. and / found enough
20 have killed a horse. II i for the
jury to decide who gave il 10 the
woman. or if she took il hdSself
Heavens aud earth, how hot IL is
And what are We 20 do nov. won
der. Il will take ten hours AZ least 70
clear the track, replace the rails. and
get things in good running order again.
This Is what the conductor tells me.
Aud tomorrow Is sunday. too-worse
luck, for they run no trains on this
road on that dan except the early
morning one
Dr. Max Mclfori buried his hands i'm
the pockets 81 his linen buster. and
looked around over the land
Have we got To stay here till Mon
day morning. he queried. at last
Not here. but n ClaynOr. OF course.
we shall reach there too late for the
solitary sunday train. which passes
Sere about eight o'clock in the morn
ing"
And how far Is It from here2'
We called the conductor and held
parlev We found that Claynor was
forty miles of by rail, but that road
20 it lay over the mountains. which
was less than half thai length.
Il tell Won ehat. gentlemen" said
the conductor: IF you are very
anxious 10 get on. why not strike
across the fields TO that little town
over yonder-there-just where you
sc the white spire above the trees9
You can hire a horse and buggy there.
I've no doubt, and. II you're not afraid
OF a night-ride across the mountains.
you can reach Clsynor long before the
time thss the train Is due. A. for this
smash-up here, I'll tell you frankly
that If we get things to rights by mid
day tomorrow. its a. much rs l think
we ca0 do. You sec the track Is all
torn up-sleepers splintered and rails
spread ont like fau-besides the dam
AEe TO the engine"