Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-29
THE RUN OF 81.

II was in Colorado, one of the widest
and toughest railroads know of.
At the bottom the roadbed was forced
IN against the opposite mountain by a
noisy little river that ran some thirty
feet below. There were three tracks on
the mountain side, and standing ON one
Of the three the other two could be
seen.
The road was stocked with Baldwin
engines, and to facilitate the climbing
of the heavy grades they had small driv-
ing wheels.
I was fireman on 67, which was used
in the passenger service. She had the
largest drivers on tho road, and they
only measured forty-eight inches in di-
6meter.
Matt Irwin was the engineer.
Sixty-seven had just been housed after
run. l was filing the oil cans, and
Matt was hauling off his overalls, when
Mr.. Fox, the superintendent, climbed
into the cab.
After few commonplace remarks, he
asked abruptly:
"Matt, how soon can 81 go outr
"Just as soon as can pull on my
overalls," was tho reply. "Her steam
hasn't been blown out yet, and her fire
hasn't been drawn"
The superintendent looked at both of
us very hard, as though he was sizing
m up, and then he said, awful solemn:
"Matt, you've been with rs long
time. You've been tried and not found
wanting. Tonight we call upon you to
perform the most dangerous piece of
work yet. VIII you do itT'
Matt's eyes looked as large as saucers
in the dim light Of the cab. confess I
was trembling myself.
"What is it?" he asked.
"There's been big mistake made in
the higher offices-but that is not for US
TO criticise-and there is but one way
to rectify it."
Here the superintendent's voice
dropped to a whisper. some hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in gold has
got to be in B before midnight, to
connect with the Eastern express, and
you're the man selected to take it
through"
Old Matt showed his astonishment
with his eyes, but never opened his
mouth.
The superintendent merely glanced at
me, and turning to Matt continued:
"a lone engine might create suspi-
cion, so we'll mako up a wild freight.
They'll all be empties. Back down to
the Offices before you couple on, and
we1l put the safe under the coal in the
tender"
That was all. He jumped off and dis
appeared.
For some time Matt and I sat staring
at each other, then he slid off his seat
and said:
"This won't dol Supper, Harry-sup-
peri We haven't much time to lose. 1t
only lacks few minutes Of 6. Be back
before the quarter"
The wind was whistling among the
cars, whisking the dust and papers about,
while in the south big black cloud was
coming up, resplendent with chain light
ming. Altogether the night promised
to be unusually bad.
! ! was back on time, but Matt was
there before me. He had lighted the
shaded steam gauge lamp and stood scan
ming small piece of pasteboard.
"What do you make Of this, Harry?'
he asked, as climbed up beside him.
'I found it pinned to my cushion"
On it was scrawled, with lead PEN
ell, the words:
Dangeri Don't pull tho wild freight tonight
II make it that some one beside the
superintendent and us knows CT il" re-
piled, the cold shivers beginning to chase
each other up my spinal column.
''There's danger aheadl"
"Ay, there is danger ahead, my boy, I"
and old Matt spoke softer than had
ever heard him before. "If you want
to-
'epn go where you lead" I replied
quickly, knowing what he was going to
say.
"Then We'll go through if it takes the
wheels out from underi Ring up the
wipersI"
And without waiting for the hostle1
to run the engine out, old Matt backed
her on to the turn table, where the
wipers swung her around, and then we
backed down to the offices, where foul
trusty men soon had the square safe un'
der the coal.
A few minutes later we were coupled
onto half dozen empty freight cars and
caboose.
"There's your ordersp cried Jimmy
O'Connor, the conductor, showing up the
yellow sheets of tissue paper.
Old Matt looked them over, and we be-
gan to move out of town.
"We've got clear track" he said,
looking across at me, and then he drew
,up the corners Of his mouth, and I looked
for quick run.
Before we reached the outskirts of the
town the rain began to come down in a
perfect deluge.
Great drops, mixed with hail, and in
such quantity that the dry drains were
soon transformed into raging creeks.
The wind howled and shrieked above
the rumble Of the train and threatened
to lift 67 off the rails. When the tele-
graph poles began to snap off Matt's
face began to lengthen.
"Good night for washovers," he said,
"and washovers are as bad as wash
~x,trtU