The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1889-06-13
FRANK HATTON'S STORY.
The eX-Postmaster General Gives an Ac-
count of the Narrow Escape of the Chi
caro- limitcI.

The ex-P"stmaster General Gives an Ac-
count ofthe Narrow Escape of the Chi
cago Limited.
WASHINGTON, June l0.-Frank Hat
ton, editor of the Washington Post. VIII,
was one Of the passengers on the Chicago
KNITTED train at JOEnStown, contributes
to The Post a graphic desert ption of the
manner of his escape from death. When
the limited pulled i2tO Johnstowa it was
found that the place was flooded. Only
few minutes were wasted there. Then
the train moved cautiously On.
Mineral Point was passed. From this
spot on, the speed of the train decreased.
The fury OF the torrent. the roar of the
waters seemed to i:tinlidate the two
great iron monsters that were dragging
the tram. Faces blaGced with fear,
pressed against the windows OF the car.
The water
Came Down the Two Forks.
with terrible force. telling of the ruin
that was being being wrought above
Portions of bridges, outh0uses, logs.
pieces of furniture and all kinds OF Gc.,riS
went tearing by and on down in the
rapidly swelling river. Ten. fifteen.
twenty minutes passed. and there was
no movement of the train. The
lain came down from the Heavens
above, while the floods Of tue
two forks rolled and dashed as they
joined together, making one mighty
and angry river. People of the town of
South Fork crossed the bridge and mixed
with the passengers. Then the latter
did not know Of the reservoir two miles
above them which was getting ready to
LAT lNn oe atn,., !, L, =,
held within its confines,
"What if the reservoir should break"
said @ citizen.
"God Help Us If It Does
responded an old woman, the mother of
three boys who had just come out of the
mines, with their faces black with the
grsme of honest toll.
Where is the reservoir" asked the
writer of an old man.
1.-TWO miles and half up the South
branch responded lie, pointing in the di-
rC;tion.
at needed but glance at the topo.
graphy of the country to show that
should the reservoir, which was de-
scribed as three miles long, one and a
half miles wide and sixty feet deep,
empty its mountain of water down the
sides of the gorge through which South
fork flowed, the limited express would
be destroyed and
All on Board Swept into Eternity.
Mr.. Hatton suggested that the train
be moved across the bridge. The con-
ductor at first said that he had orders to
stay where he was, but finally consented
to take the train across. About fifteen
minutes after the limited had reached
the north side," says Mr.. Hatton," the
engine of the freight train,
Which had remained on the south
side, gave fierce shrek and the
train started for the bridge. Intui-
lively every one knew the dam had
broken and the water was coming.
''The inhabitants,
shriehing and Crying,
ran or the mountain side. The two
engines on the limited blew their
whistles and started with the train up
the track, followed by freight train.
"The writer was in the rear of the
next to the last car ON the limited. The
roar of the writer's was almost deafen
ing. In less time than it has taken to
write this paragraph, it had struck ne
houses nearest the bridge. ans hev we
Lifted High Into the Air
and tumbled over in the surging stream.
The engine of the escaping freight
train. which had given the alarm, had
hardly reached thu north side when tho
bridge went down and the freight cars
were borne off By the rushing waters.
As the passenger u ain fled up the track,
the back water up the north branch car
ried by it articles of furniture from the
houses, which fewseccnds before were
standing by the side of the train.