Passaic City record., 1893-04-01

ran as follows:
ssFrom Austin to CIV. G., Oelwein.
Number -Four Night Limited went
down at Big Stowe Bridge. Fifth
and sixth trestle washed out. Seven
ty-five killed. ''k. G."
read and reread this till my own
writing looked strange to me as it lay
on the desk, and then glanced at the
clock. 1t was quarter to one. Num-
Der Four was due at Westgate at half
past two. So the message was sent an
hour and a quarter before the train
would reach the place of the wreck!
At that minute the piercing whistle
of locomotive broke upon the night
air. / glanced at the window anG saw
the red light of an approaching train
some fifty yards away. Throwing on
my coat and picking up my lantern,
made my way to the platform, saying
aloud:
1.-The bridge was all right last
night. 1t is surely all right now"
I stood long time waiting for the
train to pass by. Number-Limi-
ted stopped at Westgate, but it came
no near and it made no sound. Then
I saw that it was going at full speed
through country with which | was
not familiar. The faithful engineer
stood in his cab, with his hand on the
throttle, guiding through the darkness
the human freight that was trusted TO
him for safe delivery; and the ire
man, in the shadow, looked out with
pallid face. They crossed streams
and halted at stations; the bell rang
aud the whistle echoed, but there was
no rumble of wheels.
By and by began to recognize the
stations as they came to them. There
was the New Hampton depot, with the
passengers crowding about the steps,
and friends meeting and parting at the
door of the car. The conductor
walked out with his train-orders in his
hand. The mail-pouches were ex-
changed. and the phantom train went
on again.
Next came Fredericksburg, then
Sumner, and then-O terrible fate!-
l could hear the humming roar and
the painting of the ems inc; could see
the turbulent waters of the Big Stowe
lashing the approaches of the long
bridge. The train was slowing up to
cross it. 1 held my breath. 1t was
in the center of the great structure.
The engineer was calling for brakes.
l could hear the escaping steam; and
the next instant it had plunged head
long into the black, seething mass of
water beneath!
dropped on my knees and gave.
not scream. but the widest yell that
ever came from mortal lips. A mo-
ment later, I was fully awake, lying
on the office floor, where | had fallen
during my nightmare.
Some time elapsed before l could
determine that it was all dream.
turned up my lamps, examined the
little instrument that had clicked OIL
the warning message, looked for
copy of it on my desk, and at last re-
solved that, as had ample time,
would go out to Stowe and examine
the bridge before Number Four was
due. If everything was right, no one
on the trip need ever know of my
dream.
1t was but the work of moment
to get out my tricycle. and light up the
an-lamp, and was soon whirling
away toward to the river. The storm
had passed, leaving bank of copper
colored clouds in the east and the
moon shining dimly in the far west.
AS drew nearer the hoarse voice
of the Big Stowe became roar, and
| found the track covered with water.
The tricycle. had to be abandoned, and
l continued my way on foot through
still deeper waters till / reached the
bridge. ] Ipassed easily over the first
four trestles, and was angry to find
that had such faith in the mysterious
message that was expecting danger
in the fifth and sixth. When stopped
and swung my lantern out ahead of
me, its gleam, aided by the moon
light, showed me thirty-two feet of
rail vibrating to and fro over yawn-
ing chasm, where the mad waters
laughed and leaped and shrieked as If