The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-09-13

| iookeu Ior QUICK run.
"Before we reached the outskirts OF
the town the rain began to come down
in perfect deluge. Great drops, mixed
with hail, and in such quantity that the
dry drains were soon transformed in to
raging creeks.
"The wind howled and shrielsed
above the rumble of the train and
threatened to lift 81 off the rails.
When the telegraph poles began to
snap of Matt's face began to lengthen.
"'Good night for wash-overs,' he
said And wash-overs are as bad as
washouts!'
at was all down grade and all tho
steam used was to run the air-pump. /
had only to keep the fire alive.
Eight miles down we ran past a
small station where freight train was
side-tracked. 1t had perhaps dozen
cars.
| "Just before we reached it saw q
man dart in between two of the cars to
| escape the headlight.
"I thought him either trainman
or tramp, but have since changed my
mind
1--WE were half way down the Haver-
sack grade, with straight stretch Of
track and a long curve before us, when
Matt looked across and said:
"I'm afraid the little pasteboard was
only scare. If
"There was the flash of light be-
hind, the rattle of coal, and Bob Dun
can, the forward brakeman, stood in
| the cab. His face was as white as a
sheet
"'Shut her down.-shut her down, for
Heavens salse!" he shouted. "A freight's
broke loose and is coming down the
grade two miles minutep.
Before you could snap your fingers
my face was as pale as Bob's.
"Matt Irwin never lost his head, and,
with GOODNESS that comes to few men
in time of danger, he asked: How do
you know?' M
"'Seen her by flash of lightning.
O'Connor and Billy have jumpedp
"And then he swung out on the step
and disappeared.
Jump, if you want to, Harry called
old Matt. I'm going to stick to her!'
II gave one look at the Egyptian dark
ness and concluded that l would stay
with old Matt.
"'Keep your eye peeled for her." he
cried, and commenced to let ca out.
"'There she is!' shouted.
Sand there it was, sure enough. 1t
had just come out of a cut One of the
boxes was on fire, the flame streaming
back half a car length and cutting
through the air like meteor.
She's four miles behind, said old
Matt, and coming four feet to our one.
If we can get around the clrve there's
show of her jumping.
''And then began that terrible ride.
''He hooked 67 up to the first notch
and opened the throttle.
with seven cars behind we shot
down the grade of one hundred and sew
enty-five feet to the mile.
''67 set low in her frame; but every
low joint rung her bell for an eighth of
mile. She jumped and swayed and
threatened to leave the rails. The wind
shrieked around us like a thousand de-
mons, and the rain poured against the
windows in perfect stream.
"'There's danger ahead and death be-
hind, shouted the old engineer. If the
rain loosens bowlder and drops it on
the track
II shuddered. There was the blasted
pine that marked the curve. The next
second we reached it. For moment I
thought it was all over. Then 81
righted. There was sharp jerk. We
forged ahead faster, and our seven cars
cleared the road-bed and went down the
bluff with crash that was heard high
above the storm, leaving clean track
for the runaway behind. that was COM
ing as swift and sure as death.
"If the runaway got around the curve,
the probabilities were that we would be
knocked from the track into the river
1--WE were very near to the bottom
now, where the road-bed followed the
river, and engineers were cautioned not
to run over fifteen miles per hour.
"But orders were not respected that
night. We were making thirty miles
an hour when a fash of lightning
showed me that dark string of cars
coming around the curve. The blazing
box was on the opposite side and in
visible.
denly she seemed to jump from under
us; but the runaway was not more than
half mile behind and coming with the
speed of tornado.
''There was no getting out of the way.
In moment it would be or us. l inn
agined could see the black mass COM
ing down on us in the darkness, when
q heavy rumble was heard, followed by
a tremendous crash.
'"The rain had loosened the rock and
dirt overhanging the track, and it only
needed the jar of the passage of 67 to set
it in motion.
Something like thousand tons of
debris rolled on to the track directly
behind us, and into this those runaway
cars plunged.
''But We did not find this out until
afterward. Matt kept 81 up to what
was a tremendous speed on that
track. She plunged and rolled and
rang her boil continually. A dozen
times / thought we were going into the
river.
1--WE pulled through all right; but
that was my last trip. When got off
the engine my hair was streaked with
gray, and now it is as white as snow.
"For some time 1t was thought that
the runaway cars had broke loose. but
the company became suspicious and had
the case looked into with the result of
down some tough characters,
who finally confessed to cutting them
loose with tho intention of ditching us