Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-26

NJ
In the Glare OF the Fire Box.
/ TO the round house with 100 militiamen and
I take it out. / think that trip took about
/ twenty hours to accomplish, while under
ordinary circumstances the distance is
covered in nine hours"
Il can recall a run made by a special
I train about four years ago." said a men,
Der OF the group. whose road winds in and
out of the Lehigh coal region, that comes
into my mind without the least trouble to
my thinking apparatus. The special con-
sisted of an engine and two cars. and the
distance covered was only seven miles,
but, although no record of the time made
was kept, / am positive it was a record
breaker for the distance.
Running From Coal Cars.
I've had been up in the mining region
inspecting the road and were returning
down the hill at an easy pace. AS We
neared little telegraph office stuck in the
side Of the mountain our engineer observed
the young operator running toward him
like wild man. The engineer lost no time
in pulling up to meet him. and was more
than frightened when he called out:
The strikers up the hill have sent
down two loaded coal cars after you; pull
out for Sdell for your lifer
"Sidell was seven miles away, and was
the worst came We knew we could jump and
save our lives. but the engineer was true
blue, and 1 told him to try and save the
ngine and cars. And he tried. He simply
pulled the throttle wide open, and after
we had made a tremendous start he closed
her up, and We drifted down the mountain
like the wind. When we started for Sideli
we had about half mile start on those
two cars. and l don't believe they gained
foot on US. / was on the point of crying
out a couple of times for the engineer to
reverse the lever and put on the air brakes
so we could jump as at every curve L
thought we would leave the rails. but as
he and his fireman stuck gamely to their
post without a culver l knew 1t would
never do for me to weaken first. Well, we
reached the siding in safety, and in about
twenty-five seconds the two cars passed by
with a rush. and were caught as they
stalled on heavy up grade near the base
/ of the mountain.
| There were half dozen attaches Of the
road In the rear car during that run, and
l must say, with the exception of little
paleness, they went through the ordeal like
game men. A strike had been settled up
in the mountains about a week previous,
and, as in all such cases. several of the
strikers had been barred out. 1t was these
men who had tried to even up matters,
according to their ideas of revenge, and
had 1t not been for the telegraph operator
IN the first place 1t might have been sue
cessfui. But it was the engineers game
ness that had saved the locomotive and
cars"
Trying n New Locomotive.
about three years ago." chimed in
gray-haired veteran, continuing the story
telling about special trains. 1--WE received a
new locomotive up on our road of very
peculiar pattern. being exceedingly large
| and equipped with many new patents
whereby great speed was to be attained.
was superintendent of the road then, and
determined to take 1t out myself on spe-
cial schedule and ascertain IL the new
ideas were practical. / picked out a first
class engineer and fireman to accompany
me. The latter, particularly, / want to
call attention to, as he plays very i'm
portant part in my tale. He was six feet
tall and built in proportion, and as he
stood in the glare of the open fire-box pre-
scented picture worthy OF the finest ar
fist.
"weT. the locomotive proved to be all the
builders claimed for her, and ran the record
I'D to sixty-one miles an hour, which Is
quite speed for our road, being possessed of
many sharp curves and grades. W hen the
engine was going her best and had just
rounded a sharp curve / noticed directly
ahead of me a little girl halfway across a
single-track bridge that spanned quite a
body of water. There was no room for US
both on the structure, and in despair l
pulled the whistle and tried, although /
knew it was hopeless task, to stop the en-
CINE. AS the shrill shrek of the whistle
reached the little girls ears, she turned
her. ran ahead a few steps, and then, real
izing the impoSsibility OF reaching the other
side before the engine would be upon her
she sprang to the side of the structure and,
with scream, jumped into the deep water
twenty feet below. My reversing the engine
startled the half dozen railroad men in the
single coach 1 was hauling, and they i'm
n,ediately rushed out on to the front plat
form to find out the cause.
Brave Fireman's Jump.
water another figure whirled through the
air. 1t was that big fireman of mine He
had seen the child simultaneously with me-
and, acting instantly, had jumped down be-
tween the engine and tender, and as the
girl sprang into the water he leaned after
her. Owing to the velocity of the train his
body whirled around like ball before he
struck the water. The stream had become
quite swollen by recent rains, and the cur
rent was swift My fireman had hardly dis
appeared under the water than the girl
was seen several yards in front of him, but
ne quickly came to the surface and struck
out after her The little thing went down n
was by her side. and, grasping her firmly.
he turned, and, after a struggle, managed to
reach the shore almost exhausted.
while the struggles in the water were
going on I was struggling with that peslly
engine, and finally brought II to a stanJstfiI
short distance from the end of the bridge
We Immediately deserted that special and
one and all rushed down to the bank of the
river and yelled encouragement to the brave
fellow. As he came out putting like a
porpoise, we gave him three cheers and a
tiger, and he only replied to it with the re-
mark: christopher Columbus, but that wa
ter Is coldr wa
of course the crowd Clipped in a neat
little purse, but I wasn't through with
him. l sized him up this way: A man
with his nerve and self-possession would
certainly make a good engineer ana III
] next pay roll he signed was as one of thar
| class. ''
Got Mixed to the Tracls
you fellows all run toward the dra,,ot,o
I in telling your stories.'' chimed in n ner,,-
ous-looking man of about forty years VIII
was hidden behind a great cloud of cigor
smoke. why don't you tell sometbinr-
I funny. Listen TO this one. and Won vii
/ have the laugh on me. 1t occurred about
a year ago and, Of course. out in the wild
western country.
From Butte to Helena the tracks Of the