Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-09-30

i
Roesa says I, pulling the throttle
wide open. But the boy, he said
nothing-only watched the clouds in
the distance.
by this time the pointed cloud
mad got very much bigger, the lower
end of 1t nearly touching the ground.
1t grew rapidly larger ana larger and
seemed to be approaching at a great
rate of speed, while the rest of the
view toward the west and southwest
became blurred to the eye, so that
nothing could be made out clearly I
saw that 1t was tornado that was
coming. and no mistake, for the
strange cloud, which had the shape
OF gigantic peg.ton was distinctly
outlined IN Its inky blackness against
the general blur I began to feel
pretty badly frightened myself. Now
ard then, when could take my eye
OIL the cloud, looked at the boy;
but he only sat silent in the cab,
staring at the great peg-top with
starting eyeballs and white lips.
Finally said:
"'Do you think we are going to
escape it?'
"'We are right in its track he
said, without looking at me.
"You see, we were running in an
air line over the prairie, directly
northeast, and pursuing the very
path In which the tornado was COM
ing: Any other course. with the
steam 1 had on, would have carried
US out of the way
''The boy shoveled more coal on.
He had already done so three or four
times since the strange cloud was
sighted. But it was no use. The
engine was doing its best, and she
wasn't capable Of more than about
thirty-eight miles an hour.
It's gaining on u.s. said. How
fast does such thing as that travel?'
"'About a hundred miles an hour
replied the boy, white as sheet.
'1f that had been true l would not
be here to tell the story. I have
since learned that eighty miles an
hour Is supposed to be the best
tornado can do My belief is that
this one was going at about sixty
miles. Anyway. it wasn't any more
than six or seven miles distant by this
time, and gaining on us rapidly. II
my reckoning was correct, it would
catch US in little more than twenty
minutes. The way l calculated it
was that the great peg-top was NOV
ing at the rate Of three miles to our
two.
1T YVES the most frightfull specta-
Gle to look at that can possibly be
imagined. To me it seemed to be
monstrous giant pursuing us with
an evil intention to DESTROY. Now
and then the blackness would be
transformed into a dark green
and it was constantly lighted up by
flashes, as il it were an immense
balloon illuminated from within. 1t
appeared to whirl around with in
conceivable rapidity, and from it
came sound across the prairie as of
believing, with voice so awful that
the rumbling of the locomotive was
lost in it. OF the destruction it was
accomplishing l could get no notion
from my point of view. Fortunately
there were few settlements In that
part Of the country, but as we passed
two or three small hamlets at full
speed could see the people running
about trying to find some place of
safety.
THE boy staggered to my side
the rocking of the engine made it
difficult to keep ones feet-and
clutched my arm. l stopped my head,
and he yelled into my ears Make
the bend
II knew what he meant on the in
slant. Less than ten miles ahead Of
us was bridge over river, after
crossing which the road turned
abruptly southwark. 1t was freak
railway anyhow, and its ziV-zags
were intended to pass through as
many supposed centers Of future pop
ulation as possible. The only long
stretch of it in a straight line was
just where we got caught by the
tornado. If we could get to the bend
ahead of the monster we might run
out of its track.
"As you may we'll imagine. I had
no opportunity to consider the plan
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like fash. 1t was race for life sure
enough. II that engine never did
her forty miles an hour before I think
she must have done that and more
too, then. With the great funnel
Cloud rushing on behind us and
steadily approaching, we tore over
the rails at a frantic rate of speed
was fairly crazed by the excitement
so that it almost overcome my sense
of fear. remember distinctly that
pulled the whistle cord and let the
locomotive scream with all her might,
though it could hardly be heard in
the roaring of the pursuing tornado.
''Six miles passed, as we'll as could
estimate, and the monster was only
about four miles behind Three
miles more and it had lessened the
distance by mile at least But we
were near the river. A minute later
and we we're running across the
bridge. No time then to heed the
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