Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-10-09

inc.
But l was uncommonIy tired that
night, and slept on much longer than
intended. When 1 woke az Y" 0hat
stood for the dispatchers ofiice) was
calling me. / rubbed my eyes and,
still half asleep, answered him with s.I
IN" lie then asked me for No. 10. l
thought one brief second. reasoned that
i it lad passed my station the moi. C
would surely have walked nc, then an
swcrcd IN. y" which TO him meant,
net yet.
He then called Brockton. the second
station cast, and. upon his prompt reply
II e." "B" sent the following order nd
dressed 90 the operator rs X aad 70 No.
~ 1t Eroeleton. 1t read:
"flo. a will run to x regardless CT 70 10.
Operator ut X viii hold Il" 10 All; 40. ~ ar.
rivcH."
Ny renders will readily understands
that the order was given to help -
along, and upon the strength of my re-
porting No. 10 as not having passed my
station. Net more than Ten minutes
after The order was given heard brock
duotcr and engineer of no %. heard
the order corrected and knew that they
had lett DroclSton and no night Office be-
tween us.
lien for the first time commenced
Gcriously TO consider :he matter: ard
one after another in quick succession
;hcsc questions arose: Why don't 10
como? Had 10. ~ passed, and if so,
what would bc the result? My head
Was spinning like Il top.
TO ease ny mind, and, perhaps bc-
c:ugc did not know What else to do, !
went oct and examined The rails The
storm laid ceased and here and there n
tvinkling star could be seen. The
moon was trying to shine from beneath
y great hal:l; Of way clouds, and hy It's
diu light could see them and they toid
the story hut too well. The rail-; were
clean from snow, and as it had been
showing when I lay down to rest |
knew That No. 10 had passed willie l
car2lessly slept.
Ny brain cccincd on fire. ! staggered
back into Tic Office. The dispatcher
was again calling! me.
With trembling hand / graspctl the
key and answered him. Again his
former question was asked ..ifas 30.
10 arrivcd?' What should say? Fear
advised me to oGain reply -; Y" and in
the time that would clap3c before they
could arrest rae make good my escape.
Duty v:lispcrcd: ''Ic Il man" needed
il ;Hd told lin; I'll. lie had 10 time to
c!'idc me cvca had he desired IL was .
tine for action then. heard him send
This McSsagc TO the superintendcnt's, OF
flee:
mo. 10 and No 81 viii meet in u collision
near Coal Switch. Send wrccking crew aud
physicians Mt once"
paced the Office ILL = mcdrnan, and
nravcd t,,,.,, .,r;,yould in his incrcy
i--se-. helpless passengers:
tiut lie would not stain ny hands
with their blood; yet ail The tiiao know
iIis how impossible sue, thing would
he. The minutes seemed hours.
Twenty Of them passed, then thirty,
forty, and still no news from the
trains.
l could stand the suspense no 1ouger.
SciI%l my h;:t and started for tho
door; therc | stood undecided, when nv
practiscd ear heard Brocitton culling tho
disp;.tclicr's Office. lie nnswere and
again, half dazcd, listened. The old
soundcr ticllcd on without realizing. that
1t WAS speaking TO me words OF life md
hope. 1t said:
''Nc - Is hc.c end -"
heard no more, but fell syyconinr 70
the floor.
Tho terrible strain had been too n,uc,,
Tor me. tion't know how lorr | lay
taus; when came to, | found strange
faces aboat me, heard the sound OF
escaping steam and there before the
station stood No. 10. How did it happen.
You ask?
We'll, | will tell You. No. 10 had
PASSED y while l slept No. ~ had
signed it's orders at Broclston and pro-
ccedcd on its way.
Now comes tho STRANGE part of this
strange tale, showing how Gcd in Ills
infinite goodness can and docs ste, in
when man is powcrless and in dc,,nir.
Near Coal Switch is n deep cut. where
tic road runs through small sDrr of
l'carpaY mountain. Into this cut, It
seems, the snow had blown all that
night from the bank above until the
track was one huge drift.
On rushed No. 81. On, on rushed No.
10 until-vcll-r this blessed snow
bank was reached. Then they halted
scarcely four hundred feet apart. No.
- returned to Il for help, and No. 10,
being short of water, backed to Y,
where they found me lying where I fell.
In some respects | have never rccov-
cred fronr that nights experience. OF
coarse was called up to interview the
superintendent. told him all like n
nan, then babe him good-day, and went
ont into The world to commence all over
again.
Through the officials kindness the
newspapers never learned of my GRIM
iii:l caroieasncss or tho avcrtcd catas-
trophc, for all of which I was very
a;inifnl. l soon secured n new posi-
tion iii tie East, where have remained
ever since. That nights work. how
ever. carried with it n lesson TO which 7.
;erhars, owe my present aucccss.-C.
NJ. Dcnnison, III Yankee Blade.
1nE paper with tho smallest oiroula-
ton in tho world Is tho Chronicle, pub
liahed each morning exclusively for tho
nf