The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-16
MAL0NES LAST RUN.

| end OF the train shed at Altoona. The
silence of the night was broken only by
the monotonous puff, puff of a shifting
engine dragging heavily loaded west
bornd 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, 'No.
d." over the middle division to Har-
risburg. There was yet long time to
wait, for the bell on the machine shops
had just tolled II, 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-
tinued in louder voice. "John, John
Malonep'
The passer stopped and peered in
through the ratings.
"Oh, is it you, Billy" he calculated.
"I couldn't make out who was calling
me. Ny 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 near
the others the old man asked, What are
you sitting here for, and what do you
want with me?'
1.-THE same old thing, Johnny; we're
waiting to take out first section of four,
and to pass the time we want you to tell
US again of that trip you made back in
the eighties which made you leave the
footboard."
The old man took a seat, filed and
lighted his pipe and pulled away vigor-
ously for while before replying.
"Well, boys" he said at last, II don't
particularly like to talk about that run,
and it is hardly the right kind of story
to spin oyou as you are going to take out
the same train | had that night, but if
you want to hear it I'll go ahead.
cts been a good many years ago, but
/ can see the whole thing as clearly as
the night it happened, and it was no
dream, though everybody thought so. 1
needn't tell you fellows that fast line
was the first east bound passenger train
op+ar +ba ,,oa;1 avrrace xryl,;oJ, 1of+ hove
about o'clock. We generally got the
train from the Pittsburg division about
half an hour to an hour late, buS as we
only tagged at Tyrone and Huntingdon
we always came into Harrisburg on time
to the second. This was easy on a down
grade and hundred and thirty mile run
without stop. The way we used to
yank the coaches along the river was a
caution, and many's the time we ratified
over the Juniata at a mile minute, not
even slowing down for Spruce creek
tunnel.
"At that hour of the night we nearly
always got the white light from the
towers. Now and then the green would
be given and we had to reduce speed,
but rarely the red. Well, this thing Of
running a train like four with clear
track, no stops and nothing to see but
the ballast and trees alongside of the
rails makes a fellow grow Indifferent,
and l won't say little nervous. 1t is
wearing on a man to speed along through
those mountains hour after hour in the
middle of the night, never seeing a light
except in the tower, and feeling the cold
air blow in on him from those hills ris-
ing hundreds of feet overhead. An en-
gineer cannot tell what instant he's GO
ing to crash into landslide tell you
a night run is enough TO make a man
feel mighty solemn when passing through
Jacks Narrows, or half a dozen other
barren rocky spots, such g. can be found
between here and the Susquehanna, all
of which you boys know well
"The night was speaking of we left
here thirty minutes late, and a hot
box on the smoker held US fifteen min
utes more at Tyrone FORCES. When we
got started again pulled her wide open
and let her rip. We had nine cars on,
three of them sleepers, and that was a
heavy load for one of the old style en-
gines, but we bumped along at lively
rate Beyond Huntingdon we fairly
hummed along the canal, depending al
together on the towers, for it was so
dark we couldn't see even the Juniata
right below US. We had no further
trouble as to delays. The east bound
freight and coal trains were all side
tracked, and we did not even get a green
light until we reached Lewistown juno
ton.
Somehow or other / was not feeling
myself that night. and | don't believe
the fireman and had half dozen words
in the first hundred miles. As we run
through the Narrows l leaned out of the
cab and kept an eve on the track for
rocks. II was impossible TO see any dis
lance, however, and as turned around
TO look for the tail lamps on the rear
sleeper i thought of the scores of people
behind me riding in faDcjed security,
while the only safeguard from wreck
was in Providence Straight up on the
right rose the mountains for nearly
thousand feet, and on theother hand was
the Juniata. dark and unreal in the wav
erinC glare OF the headlight.
''On and on we went. past little vii
lagos and farm houses. shooting over the
road crossings and crashing by empty
stations. all of which knew ~ instinct,