New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1892-07-13

broken cars and nangled passengers,
was stilI standing; and though It'd
| timber looked quite old and weather
beat ten there seemed to be little. dam
! ger of it's breaking down beneath the
weight of q passing train. There was
| a heavy freight train due from the
to wait at least until tbcame, and If
it passed over in safety there could be,
| | Thought, but little danger OF acci-
dent to the lighter passenger train.
In due time it came laundering
along, and passed safely over the
bridge. But, though it might have
been oWingto my excited imagination,
it seemed to me that the bridge bent
and shook beneath the weight of the
train in a manner highly suggestive Of
| danger. At all events, resolved to
| wait q while longer and seq lii the
stream, which was still risihg would
have any effect upon the bridge. I
took with nle a lantern also a. thick
blanket to protect me from the damp
night air.
Shortly after sunset, as II was sit
| ting a, few rods from the stream,
heard a loud splash, and hurrying to
the bridge, I saw thayt q portion Of the
bank on the opposite side had been
broken away, and also that the action
weakened the faund alton of the bridge
in such g manher ths.t a. portion of
the line was bent and lowered enough
to makesi Impossible for a train to
cross. / Immediately crossed the
bridge, resolved to stop the train if
possible before it reached the bridge
and cert hin destruction.
/ went on in the direction from
which the train was to come, and
soon found good place which COM
manded a view OF the linetfor a con-
siderable distance. I lit my lantern,
wrapped my blanket closely around
me, and sat down to my wearisome
watch Of two hours. The night was
clear, but not very dark, though no
moon was shining. / suffered nothing
from cold, as it was remarkably
warm, even for the climate of Virginia,
{and I succeeded in keeping awake,
though the task was difficult one.
Slowly the moments passed by; but
at last [ saw by my watch that the
time had nearly expired, and a few
moments would decide the fate OF
the train and it's human weight.
Soon / saw q light far away and very
small at first, but rapidly growing
larger and brighter. 1arose. trembling
with excitement, and commenced
swinging the lantern above my head.
and as the train drew near doubled
my exertion and shouted as loudly as
Icould.
Onward came the train at rapid
speed. 1t was a time of terrible sus-
pense to me. Should the engineer fail
to see my signal or not seeit in time
Il to stop the train before going a few
rods past me knew that no human
power could save it, On it came, and
just as gave up my exertions and
stepped from thelne my frantic sig
nails were observed, arousing the
sleepy brakemen like an electric shock,
who flew to their stations.
The train was quickly stopped, and
q then informed the engineer and con-
ductor OF the danger ahead, and while
the frightened passengers left the car
sriages and gathered around me. Many
brave man grew pale when he learn
ed what a. fearful death hehad so mar
rowly escaped.
Among the passengers 1 found my
wife, not mangled and lifeless, but
alive and well, though somewhat
frightened, and a good deal surprised
at seeing me. The conductor gave me
5a5 seat next my wife, and then had
the train backed to the station it
had just left, from which kilograms
were sent to warn all other trains of
the danger.
In the morning my wife and / took
the stage home,