Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-29

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rattle of coal, and Bob Duncan, the for
ward brakeman, stood in the cab.
His face was as white as sheet.
"Shut her down-shut her down, for
heavens sake" he shouted. ga freights
broke loose, and is coming down the
grade two miles u minutel'
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?"
Seen her by flash of lightning. O'Con-
nor and Billy have jumped!
And then he swung out on the step
and disappeared.
"Jump if you want to, Harry" called
old Matt. "Pm going to stick to her."
gave one look out at the Egyptian
darkness and concluded that I would
stay with old Matt.
keep your eye peeled for her." he
cried, and commenced to let 81 out.
"There she isl" shouted.
And there it was, sure enough. It had
just come out of cut. One of the boxes
was on fire, the fame streaming back
half 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 curve there's q
show of her jumping"
And then began that terrible ride.
He hooked 81 up to the first notch and
then opened the throttle.
With seven cars behind us we shot
down the grade of 175 feet to the mile.
Sixty-seven set low in her frame, but
every low joint rung her bell for an
eighth of a mile. She jumped and
swayed and threatened to leave the rails.
The wind shrieked around MS like a
thousand demons and the rain poured
against the windows in perfect stream.
"Theres danger ahead and death be-
hind" shouted the old engineer. eff
the rain loosens bowlder and drops it
on the track
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 coming 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.
We were very near to the bottom now,
where the roadbed followed the river,
and the engineers were cautioned not to
run over fifteen miles per hour.
But orders were not respected that
night. We were making thirty miles
per hour when flash of lightning showed
me that dark string of cars coming
around the curve. The blazing box was
on the opposite side and invisible.
Old Matt gave 81 the steam so sudden
ly she seemed to jump from under us,
but the runaway was not more than half
a mile behind and coming with the
speed of a tornado.
There was no getting out of the way.
In moment it would be on us. Iimag-
ined / could see the black mass coming
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 81 to set it in motion.
Something like 1000 tons of debris
rolled onto 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 tremendous speed on that track.
She plunged and rolled and rang her
bell continually. A dozen times thought
we were going into river.
We pulled through all right, but that
was my last trip. When l got off the
engine my hair was streaked with gray,
and now it is white as snow.
For some time it was thought that the
runaway cars had broke loose, but the
company became suspicious and had the
case looked into, with the result of run
ming down some tough characters, who
finally confessed to cutting them loose
with the intention of ditching us between
Haversack grade and the bottom, and
securing the treasure.
Old Matt has retired from the road
but I do not think that either he or
shall ever forget the run of CIV. f
Bruins in Express Gazette.