Brookings County sentinel. (Brookings, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1890, 1889-06-14
FRANK HATToN's STORY.

THE e.-Po.tma.is- General Gives an Ac.
count OF the Narrow Escape Of the Chi.
sago Limited.
WASHINGTON. June l0.-Frank Hat.
ton. editor of the Washington Post. who
was one OF the passengers on the Chicago
limited train at Johnstown, contributes
to The Post "a graphic,d of the
manner Of his escape from death. When
the limited pulled into Idhnstown il was
found that the place was flooded. Only
a 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 iatimidate the two
great iron monsters that We're dragging
the tram. Faces blsnced 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, outhouses, loys,
pieces of furniture aud all kinds Of debris
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
rain came down from the Heavens
above. while the floods of the
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
let loose the vast body of water which il
held within its confines.
"What if the reservoir should break"
said citizen.
"God Help Us IL IL Does"
responded an old woman, the mother of
three boys who had just come out OF the
mines, with their faces black with the
CRIME of honest toll.
.Where is the reservoir asked the
writer OF an old man.
1.-TWO miles aud half up the South
branch responded he. pointing in the di-
rection.
at needed but glance ut 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 deem.
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 Hoard swept into Eternity.
Mr.. Hatton sugg tel that the train
be moved across Use 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 tie freight train,
which had remained on the south
side, gave a 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,
shrieking and Crying,
ran for the mountain side. The two
engines on the limited blew their
whistles and started with the train up
the track, followed by q 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. il had struck the
houses nearest the bridge, and they were
Lifted High Into the Air
and tumbled over in the snrging stream.
The engine Of the escaping freight
train, which had given the alarm, had
hardly reached the north side when the
bridge went DOWN and the freight ears
were borne off by the rilahing waters.
As the passenger tain fled up the track.
the back water up the north branch car
ried by 1t articles OF furniture from the