Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-08-29

| l1OA OhR shOs 90 AAiS AiOu40A ul0S
and had a fair chance OF escape from
injury, but he was not of that cali.
Der. He knew there were fully a
hundred lives depending on his COOL
ness and courage in the cars behind
him, and quick as fash he reversed
his engine and applied the air brakes.
He knew the Westinghouse system
so we'll that he tore his engine from
the train by the immense air pres
sure. left the cars almost at a stand :
still, and like lightning his engine
darted forward. being released from
the weight of the train behind, struck
the mass of rock, and over and over
down the bank it rolled. The fire.
man told me that Gilman had disen-
tangled himself from his kissing,
broken engine at the foot OF the en-
bankment crawled back to the road
| bed again, ana with groan fell into
his arms Looking up into the fire.
mans eyes he said, with a sad smile
upon his face:
"'Charley, it's all over. think I
saved about half the people on the
train, and If there's God above I'll
face Him like man with that record
behind me, and with a gasp Of pain
he passed away.
II do not cite this case to demon.
strate that all in fldels are brave, but
merely to show you that l am not
prejudiced and think it necessary to
be Christian to be courageous and
sclf-sacritlcing.
another of my friends among
the engineering craft was Emory
Stevenson. Unlike Gilman, he was
an Out-and-out believer in Christian
ity, and my right-hand man at
prayer and class meetings He and
Gilman were great friends, and many
a battle-royal OF words they had over
the Bible and its teachings.
stevenson was working for the
Reading Road at the time. Franklin
B. Gowen, the roads President,
issued his memorable order cxpelling
all Brotherhood men from his ROAD or
permitting them to remain if they de-
serted the association. Stevenson
took it in his head that he owed al
legiance to the railroad and, notwith-
standing the protests and arguments
of his Brotherhood friends, withdrew
from the order. The bitterness and
length Of that grea+ labor struggle
can no doubt be easily recalled by the
reading public Month after month
the tight went on and at times the
battle drifted away from the fearless
engineers and settled into the hands
OF a rougher element OF railroad
sympathizers This latter class hest
tated at nothing whereby they could
damage the company's property or
injure the men that remained true to
their employers.
Zone of the most ingenious and
dastardly plots ever concocted was
tried on one Of the branches of the
road during that boycott, and Steven
son figured as the hero of the occa-
sion. He was coming from the mines
toward the little town l was xsta
toned at one dark night in Novem-
Der, and had behind him thirty-four
cars loaded with coal. The train had
just started down a steep grade and
was fully under control when sud-
WI AApCCuo was 8lNCu CU&llC
that almost broke the links holding
it to the train. AS car after car
reached this spot the same motion
was given to all of them, and as re-
suit high rate of speed was soon
gained by the train. DO what they
would the hands on the train were
powerless to check its speed, and as
it continued to gain Roadway they
picked out inviting places and jumped
for their lives Stevenson hung to
his engine, and at three different
points, when he thought he preceived
a slackening up of speed, the same
strange sliding sensation was felt
'He knew that If the track was
clear in the town he was entering
with lightning.like speed, and his
engine kept the track, his chances
were fairly good for safe ending Of
his thrilling experience. Looking
back over his train he found the Ca
boose lights missing and rightly sur
missed that portion IF the train had
parted and gone down over the en-
bankment.
1T was discovered afterward that
some unknown mlscreant or miscre-
ants had poured soft soap on the rails
at different points on the steep in
cline, which was about five miles in
length and full of curves, and this
had prevented the brakes from hold
ing, and thrilling coasting by the
train was the result.
swell do l remember that night.
The little town had a code of signals
in case of fire, which were furnished
by the many steam whistles of the
engines in the yards and shops
when Stevenson discovered that
the train was beyond his control, he
started his engines whistle going
with the danger signal; the engineers
in town heard it and took it up;
switches were hastily thrown; fire
bells started ringing. and, with the
fire apparatus, almost the entire popu-
lation rushed through the streets.
LAS the signals had started from
the railroad everyone. OF course. went