Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-06

switches and shot down the line like a
meteor.
Both boys. now that they were actual
" at work to avert disaster, the very
thought of which had unnerved them a
Roger, with his hands occupied and
feet braeed firmly against the heavy
shocks and lurches of the flying en-
CINE, moved his eyes from the track
ahead only for a swift glance at the
gauges. Ben fed the fire-box with all the
skill he knew, recalling Mike Murphy's
instructions, and doing his best to keep
a steady, hot fire without smothering it
by putting on too much coal, the COM
mon mistake of inexperienced fremen.
Never once since starting had he looked
from his work, or even taken a single
glimpse from the window directly in
front of him.
Yet all the time his mind was busy.
He had set upon this wild race with the
single idea of chasing the fat-car, and
in some way preventing the destruc-
ton it was sure to create if left to it
self.
But now the question was whether
the car could be overtaken, and, if it
could, what should then be done.
Knowing how far the bridge was away
from the station he mentally calculated
the probable speed of the fat-car and
the time it would occupy in making
the distance. Then, between shovels-
full of coal, he fixed the pace necessary
to come up with the chase sufficiently
far from the bridge to allow opportunity
for securing the runaway by plan
which had just occurred to him.
There it is" cried Roger, as they
swept around long cure. '1t's rum
ming nearly as fast as we are"
For the first time Ben looked out at
the flying telegraph poles, while count
ing the jars of the wheels on the joints
of the rails.
"Give her little more, Roger" said
he.
The engine seemed to drop from I'M
der them with its increasing speed on
the down grade, rolling and pitching
like a ship at sea. Ahead the flat was
bounding along the rails, strewing the
track side as it ran with heavy ties, for
its load had been shifted by the shock
rounding the curve. Several times the
pursuing engine struck and threw
aside some of the ties which had fallen
partly across the rails.
Fearful dangerous it was, but Roger
did not even think of slowing up. On
the contrary, he crowded his machine
a little harder. There was need of it,
for the bridge was less than a mile
away, and mile at this speed was only
I few seconds over a minute.
Ben also knew that. He threw down
his shovel, caught up an iron pin, and
opened the doors leading out upon the
boiler. Roger looked at him anxious
ly, but never spoke.
The thing must be done if both his
brother and himself gave up their lives
in doing it, for there, down under the
bridge. were twenty men-husbands
and fathers, many of them-w orking
away, unconscious of the death that
was rushing upon them at fifty miles
an hour.
Clinging TO the brass railing and al
most choked by the fierce rush of air
that the engine created as it tore along
Ben crawled slowly to the buffers, and
from there let himself down till his feet
rested upon the frame of the pilot.
Half sitting, half standing, he held on
to brace with one hand and with the
other raised the heavy coupling-rod,
which hung along the front angle of
the pilot.
1t was terrible place. Stunned by
the furious noise, smothered in dust,
and bewildered by the dizzy sweeping
Of the roadbed under him his head
swan, and for a moment he thought he
shonld fall. But the weakness passed
away before the thought of what de-
pended upon him.
He mnst save those lives. That was
what he was there for.
Tie engine was gaining rapidly, but
still not rapidly enough. A few sec
onds more would render all his strug-
giles useless.
He leaned out and waved his hand.
Instantly another of those headlong
leaps told him that Roger had seen his
signal, and that all steam was on.
The distance decreased. A hundred
yards = fifty = twenty-five! Now the
swaying mass of timber was
directly overhead, and Ben rose to his
feet as cool as he had ever been in his
life.
With the pin and coupling-rod in
hand he stood balancing himself on the
narrow frame that Jared and jumped
beneath him, noticing even then the
steady skill with which his brother was
reducing the engines speed to CORES
pond with that of the car and prevent
heavy shock. Another second and
he dropped the rod in place, passed the
pin through, and fell backward upon
the pilot.
The wheels screamed and grated, the
steam roared, and the whole engine
groaned under the racking strain of the
reverse, but the car was being check
ed, and slower and slower it went, I'M
til its impetus was finally overcome
and destroyed by the drag and pull be-
hind it. Right before, not fifty feet
off, was the bridge, but the car had
stopped.
Well, you can imagine what scene
there was = the terrified workmen
swarming out from among the TIM
bers down in the ravine, learning what
they had escaped, who had saved them,
and how it had been done. And you
can imagine another scene an hour
or two later when the shouting process
sion of grateful men, and wives, and
mothers, and sisters. crying for joy.
brought the two young heroes up to the
station, where Engineer Moore was
waiting. But you can not imagine
what the fathers feelings were on hear
ing the story nor how he was proud,
and glad. and frightened, and thankful