The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-12-17
Pluck or ! Girl Operator.

yania line. This road hugged th
Susouehanna river from end TO end
and there wasn't q spot on the en-
tire division Of 40 miles that j
wasn't almoet sure death to leav'
the rails Wrecks occurred on a.
average of once a week and wer'
always followed by severe fatalities
| The station she was located at wal
immense limestone quarries where
in some half q hundred Italianl
were employed. About 100 fee'
above the station was q 1OO-foot
trestle spanning a small stream q
ordinary times, but on the day 70
ferred to by the Washington Star
it was greatly swollen and very
swift as it emptied into the river al
that point. A blast had just been
fired of unusual force and an i'm.
mense rock landed directly on the
trestle, tearing it apart in the cen
ter, the swift water washing away
the debris and leaving gap in the
rails of about twenty-five feet. The
river was very high at that point,
and the small boats that were handy
could not be propelled against the
swift current. The nearest bridge
on the little stream over which the
trestle was stretched was some three
miles distant. Miss Ransom saw
the mischief done by the rock and
immediately rushed out and told
the superintendent OF the Italian!
gang to send q man OF 60 himself
around the wreck and stop d trdin
that was due from the north in
about half an hour. The superin
tendent was an Italian, with a
smattering of English, but who
failed entirely to see the gravity of
the situation. The only wire that ran
along the road had been stretched
along the trestle for economy's sake
and had been broken with the
trestle, so that no 3communica-
tion with the north could be had.
Miss Ransom tried to tell the I.al-
ian the true situation, but he only
smiled, and with shrug sof bis
shoulders and 9 .grimace walked
back into the quarry and resumed
his overseeing.
Miss Ransom hesitated but
minute to ask if any one in the
crowd could swim, and, receiving
negative answer, decided, with the
aid of a plank, to try crossing the
river. The Italians. in their i'm
petuous way, tried to persuade her
not to attempt the swollen waters,
but with the decision of true he
roine who realized the danger of
the oncoming train, she cautiously
pushed the plank into the water
and with a quick movement fol
lowed it. The brave girl had en-
tered I1.o water some distance above
the broken trestle in the hope of
gaining the opposite shore some
distance before that point could be
reached, as to be carried out into
the river meant almost certain
death. The Italians encouraged
her with shouts of praise, but, en-
deavor as she would to work her
way out of the current in midstream
but little headway was made.
Down stream the brave girl was
carried with a swiftness that told
palmer than words that her strug-
giles were fruitless. As she neared
the broken trestle inch by inch she
worked the plank over toward the
northern side,a as she was within q few
feet ofthat structure she abandoned
the plank and struck out with one
forlorn hope of reaching it unaided.
Her foresight and strength proved
stanch qualifications. AS she was be-
ing carried past the projecting and
splintered trestle Miss Ransom
gave one last long sweep of her
arm and was enabled to grasp a
heavy piece of timber.
Slowly and laboriously the hero
inc worked her way out ofthe water
and up through the trestle, as her
strength commenced to show signs
Of waning and finally reached the
top. For only few seconds did
she hesitate to gasp for breath and
regain her strength when the noise
OF the oncoming train could be
heard and in q few seconds later
dashed into view. The wild gesti-
culations of the brave girl caught
the attention of the engineer almost
instantly, the air brakes were ap-
Piled and the train brought to q
standstill right on the curve and
in sight of the broken trestle. With
out quiver in her voice she told
the engineer of the mishap and in
a-matter Of fact way, without any
Embellishments, related her expert
ence in trying 70 prevent the train
from going through the trestle into
the river. The dozen or 80 passen-
gers on the train were dumfounded
BY the girls matter Of fact bravery,
and crowded around her and almost
hugged and kissed her in enthusi-
aaln and thankfnlness.
| Did the girl make her mark in
The telegraph profession? Not
| much. She married the engineer
\ n