Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-11-21
LAssoING AN ENGINE.
a Congressman Recalls a Thrhiins
limo In His Career.


'In my young days" said tho Congress
man. Il was an engineer on the Santa
70 railroad. had only been on about
throo months wtcn Ivy some carclcSsncss
or vicionsncss ono Of tho engines known
as mountain climbers got away with
full steam on and started down the
road nn q message OF death and do
struction. 7 had Just finished long
run and was preparing u GO homo. when
tho train dispatcher rushed wildly out
of tho Office and told mo tho nows.
Tho track had boon cleared. hn said.
and athcro was nothing to stop tho mad
rush Of tho runaway locomoiivo until it
should dash into tho station at Calves
ton and pillow its way through bricks and
mortar until both Tho building and loco
motive wcro ruined. ........ ... ..
81 had pInnLv nf uervo Lhon. and 7
surposo Ivy YOUR laughing you think 7
hav. lost mono or a.. hut am froo to
COMICS that would not now dlro to
undertake. tho task that successfully
accomplished that day. rcrhaps IT. was
tho excitement and enthusiasm Of tho
momcnt which led mo tn volunteer to
lasSo that locomotive. I always smilo
when 7 recall tho look OF incrcdullty
that mot my confident assertion that
could catch and arrest the mad flight OF
tho runaway. butt was SD confident that
thoy gavo mo hearing. and finally
secured the services of sturdy Irish lad
as fireman.
I'm loss than three minutes after tho
dispatch had been received l was ON my
engine. with steam slowly coming up
uGain. and pulling out as rapidly az pos.
Rlh ln ~ tin sNn-cnDninn Il
was impossible for Tho train dispatcher
togivo mo any accurate idea as TO where
tho runaway was. Tho best he could
do WAS tn say that IT. bad passed a small
station about sovcntv. Two miles up the
road somo ton. minutes hcioro. moving
ut tho ratio OF about ninety miles All
honr. A fow minutes moro. and with
steam up had my engine moving at
tho rate OF sixty miles an hour. and 20
ing straight at tho runaway on tho same
track. ... r....
81 ran this way for about twenty-five
minutes. when. az ncar as I could calcu.
lat". tho runaway had dono thirty.scven.
and Q half milcs and I had covered
twenty-five. II my calculations wcrecor.
rect there were still somo twelve and
half milos bctweon us. but you can i'm
agino that tho last Two miles covered
running direct at tho oncoming monster:
w"ro lany thing but pleasant. Well. ]
reversed my engine and startod running
away. gradually increasing my speed un.
Ill wo settled down to comfortable
thirty miles IN hour. tho Irish lad mean
whilO Keeping on terrific amount OF
steam. We might have run into almost
any thing. for did not look ahead at
oil. My eyes were strained until thry
panied mo looking up tho track for the
runaway! 1T might have boon ton
minutes. moro or loss-it seemed like
years in mo.
FINALLY wo heard tho rumble and
roar OF the monster. 1t didn't taic hor
long tn hoavC in sight. and sho was com
ing cumming. For tho frat timc I
confess lost my nervc. It was only
momcntary. howovor. and tbon opened
my throttle and away VIC went Tbcro
was u good milo of straight track bo-
tween us whom FIRST caught sight Of
hcr; then we turned n curvo and slIo was
out OF sight. II not ont OF hoarinu.
When shc did como she had gaind on us
pretty nearly half milo. shut oil
BtcaT tri[c. and whom wo struck n
lcvo' pjcco OF track but quarter OF a
milo separated us. I told Irish to keep
no pressure. md tho way no did II it's q
wonder tho hoilcr Of sovcnty-six didn't
burst. Sbc kept getting nearer and
nearer. and II was nil could DO to keen
from throwing wido Tho Lhrottlo anu
speeding away.
FINALLY she closed in upon us. and
assure you that so nearly equal had I
succeeded in making tho speed that tho
shock was littlo II my creator than
that fclt upon tho coupling OF two
cars did not hesitate nm
Instant, but jammcd down tho
steam vdlvo tiGht--a dirlsult task
even for an athletic. as ] then was.
and from tbcro swung myself upon tho
runaway. 1t was the work ~ scarcely
half minute to Chamber In the cab and
jah down tho, steam valvc there. We
ran possibly mile before We came to a
. cLnulcIil and Lar li,oA ,ts.o