Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-11
BEATING A cioU0-BuRsT.
How an Engineer 0uts:r;pped . Ficota b
 SsYNnty St.oo,i,i..

HcW aii Engineer 0uts:iippea . Ficoc by
 seventy Sccon,iS.
 George Davis is one of the oldest and best engineers in Denver, says the News of that city. He commenced in 1870 on the old Den Yer Pacific, and was firing for Ed Hosl,ins on old No. 90 when the engine brought the first passen ger train to Denver in 1870. In 1872 he was given charge Of an engine, and continued in active servlce on that line un- tli, owing to sickness, he was obliged to lay Oil; butthe company, approaching his valua- bIe services, have him employed in the Union Depot examining train hands as to their knowledge Of train rules and duties.
 George had the reputation of being enc of the fastest engineers on the road, and on one occasion when pulling President -siams' car, d speed indicator in his car in dlcated seventy miles an hour for short distance, but George thinks the fastest tune he ever made was on the afternoon of July 12, 1875, when he ran race with flood III Sand Creek and beat it by just sev- enty seconds. George can tell the story best, however:
 ''It was during the time we were having so many floods, and the bridge over Sand creek had been washed out a few days be- fore, and the track ran down over the sand ln the bottom of the creek, which was al ways dry except when there was g flood.
 ''We were an hour late that afternoon. and when we reached Eaton, forty-eight miles from Denver, we were just Gal1iu 2 water at the tank when D. B. Keelcr, who was tue agent at that place then, came run ming out to me with a message, which read:
 "'Make all possible haste to Denver. Water coming down Sand Creek
 The message was signed by Colonel Fisher, the superintendent, and ! knew it meant get there, and the way l damned the old 1nachine going over the track that after noon was caution. We had no air brakes in those days, and had six stops to make, but were only siXty-tour minutes from Eaton to Sand Creek
 ''When we reached the bank of the creek 1t was nearly dusk, but l could see the water coming C-}y a few rods above, foam ing and roaring, solid wall six feet high, full of timber and Trcclage from the Kansas Pacific bridge few miles above. and ] thought at first l would not chance it, but just as was about to blow the brakes caught sight of Colonel Fisher on the other side, waving his | to me to come On, so pulled her wide open and We plunged down ln the hoic and Wrlggled up the other side just seventy seconds before the water struck the track and wiped it out of exist ence with roar.
 Il stopped as quick as I could aftes we got over, anu It sou ever saw deli9 Gtei set of passengers they were there. You see they didn't know any thing about il until We were down ill the creek bottom, when they saw the water coming. Scared :. Well, you can bet they were. They had been uneasy all tue way from Eaton, and had been cCaXIng Ed H0silins-he was the conGuctor-to make me stop running so fast, but when we swung down into tho creek bottom at the rate of fifty miles an hour, they knew something was up. and when they caught sight Cf that food they saw right away what the matter was. They got out on the bank and acted foolish, cheering me and throwing their hats in tEe air and shaking hands with me and saving {: God bless you and all that kind of thiag c, We had big sIme there for awhile, and 1t was days before we could run trains across the creek again"