The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-10-25
MALONES LAST RUN.

vi "A lJNJN Il = lIhOl hUN ~,
A little knot of smoky, begrimed en-
gineers. firemen and switch tenders were
sitting together on a tool box at the east
end of the train shed at Altoona. The
silence of the night was broken only by
the monotonous puff, puff of shifting
engine dragging heavily loaded west
bound freight to the upper yard.
Through the maze of tracks CLEANED
scores of red, green and white lights
marking the switches The group of
train hands were idling the time away
until the hour should come when the
engines should be brought out to haul
the two sections of fast line. mo.
a." over the middle division to Har-
risburg. There was yet long time to
wait, for the bell on the machine shops
had just tolled If, and the train was not
due until after midnight The crowd
on the Logan house porch, that great re-
sort of Mountain City inhabitants, was
thinning out, and as the air grew more
chilly the lively conversation halted and
the men on the tool box became silent
and thoughtful.
Suddenly one of them exclaimed;
"Here comes old John Malone. Let's
get him to tell us that story about the
last run he made. Hi. there!' he con
tiuued in louder voice. John, John
Malone!'
The passer stopped and peered in
through the ratings.
"Oh, is it you, Billy" he calculated
81 couldn't make ont who was calling
me. My eyes and ears are not as good
as they were ten years back
Billy soon had the gate open for Ma
lone to enter, and as the two drew neal
the others the old man asked, ''What are
you sitting here for, and what do yoU
want with mel"
"The same old thing, Johnny; We're
waiting to take out first section of four
and to pass the time we want you to tel
us again of that trip you made back il
the eighties which made you leave tn,
footboard,"
The old man took seat, filed anC
lighted his pipe and puffed away vigor
ously for while before replying.
"Well, boys" he said at last, II don
particularly like to talk about that run
and it is hardly the right kind of a stor!
to spin to you as you are going to take ou
the same train had that night but i
you want to hear it I'll go ahead.
Its been good many years ago. bu
| can see the whole thing as clearly a
the night it happened, and it was n,
dream, though everybody thought so,
needn't tell you fellows that fast lin
was the first east bound passenger trail
after the mail express, which. left her
about o'clock. We generally got tn
train from the Pittsburg division abou
half an hour to an hour late, buS as W
only tagged at Tyrone and Huntington
we always came into Harrisburg on tim
to the second. This was easy on dow
grade and hundred and thirty mile ru
without stop. The way we used t
yank the coaches along the river was
caution, and many's the time we rattle
over the Juniata at mile a minute, no
even slowing down for Spruce cree
tunnel.
"At that hour of the night we nearl
always got the white light from TIA
towers. Now and then the green woul
be given and we had to reduce speed
but rarely the red. Well, this thing {
running train like four with cles
track, no stops and nothing to see bU
the ballast and trees alongside Of tn
rails makes 4 fellow grow indifferen
and won't say little nervous. 1t
wearing on man to speed along throug
those mountains hour after hour in IL
middle of the night, never seeing hgf
except in the tower, and feeling the col
air blow in on him from those hills II
ing hundreds of feet overhead. An el
gineer cannot tell what instant he's g
ing to crash into a landslide, | tell yC
a night run is enough TO make a ma
feel mighty solemn when passing throug
Jacks Narrows. or half dozen 9th,
barren rocky spots, such AS can be fouT
between here and the Susquehanna, q
Of which you boys know well.
The night | was speaking Of we le
here thirty minutes late, and h,
box on the smoker held us fifteen mi
utes more at Tyrone Forges. When y
got started again pulled her wide opt
4 and let her rip. We had nine cars O
/. three Of them sleepers, and that was
heavy load for one of the old style e
gines, but we bumped along at live
rate Beyond Huntingdon we fair
hummed along the canal, depending 4
, together on the towers. for it was
dark we couldn't see even the Junia
right below us. We had no furth
trouble as to delays. The east bOuI
freight and coal trains were all sid
tracked, and we did not even get a gre,
light until we reached Lewistown Jun
tion.
Somehow or other l was not feelil
myself that night, and l don't belle
the fireman and had half dozen wor
in the first hundred miles, AS we n
through the Narrows leaned out Of t
cab and kept an eye on the track
rocks. 1t was impossible to see any d
tance, however, and as | turned rou
to look for the tail lamps ON the re
sleeper thought of the scores of peoI
behind me riding IN fancied securit
while the only safeguard from wre
was in Providence Straight up on
right rose the mountains for nearly
thousand feet, and on the other hand "
the Juniata. dark and unreal in the WI
ering glare of the headlight.
"On and on we went, past little y
. Highe-r of all in Leavening Pow