The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-12

view and a engine was ont
lined against the sky beyond.
In a second it disappeared, but a rattle and
q roar and a faint light as from an open
furnace door told me that tho locomotive
had turned the bend and was coming down
the mountain at a terrific speed. The
course of the engine was then nearly par
allel with ours. but / knew that a moment
later it would skim around the curve and
be right behind. For an instant l was al
most paralyzed with surprise and fear.
The iden Of mn empty engine dashing
down a grade in your rear with a speed four
times that of your W is something to be-
numb ones brain. A person accustomed to
act upon the impulse of the moment does
30 almost internationally, and in this in
stance l threw off the brakes and put on q
full head of steam even while my eyes were
fxed on the engine behind. MY engine
gave a jump and ! knew that. in Less time
than it takes to tell it would be
making a mile q minute. If the en-
gineer Of the helper was running
rapidly but carefully under the impression
we were far ahead the danger signal ut the
tower would warn him and he would stop.
but if he had lost control of his eneine-I
and trernbled as the idea of rolling down
the mountain again came into my brain.
"The wild and prolonged footing of a
whistle sounded in the rear, and ,e-echoed
again and again through the valleys. l
knew what that meant-the engine was be-
least a mile start. Gould we with six cars
hope to escape an engine without burden?
One thing WAS in our favor. The helper
was O locomotive built for great power but
slow running, and therefore its small driv-
ing wheels must already be revolving at a
dangerous speed. Possibly it might jump
the track, and so put an end to the threat
ened calamity.
II gritted my teeth in agony. A short
distance ahead WAS q deep cut, and then a
high em%bankment; if we passed that point
part of the danger would be over. We
whizzed dow the track faster than l ever
rode before or since. Arumble and q roar
later we were over the fill and on solid
ground. I glanced back, and saw the head
light of the wild engine in the cut not q hun-
dred yards distant. With frozen blood |
awaited the crash. 1t came. A sudden
shock came over tho train and my engine
the track. Instantly l realized the vesti-
bule arrangement on the coaches had
broken tho force of the collision. aided by
the rapid speed of our train. A second
later the same whistle which had
thrilled us before rang out, but this time it
was a CHEEKY call for brakes, entirely differ
ent from the former shrieks. shut off
steam and put on the air continuously to
see whether the light engine WAS pushing
us with her full power. Finding it was
not, l looked back, and saw the runaway
come to a standstill just as We passed the
tower and rolled under the Seventeenth
street fridge Mt Altoona. I afterward
learned the levers on the helper had caught
some way, and tho engine could not be
stopped. When it struck the rear coach,
however, tho shock loosened the machinery
and the engineer at o shut off steam and
put on the brakes on the driving wheels.
We'll, there comes the Pan Handle con-
nection. Good night"