Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-03-28

to 90 ahead. Just as they were round
ing the east curve, the caboose just dis
appearing, en-" called me and asked,
as No. 4S on the siding?" told him
"No;' that they had just left the sta
ton, giving the time they had passed.
His reply: my God, has No. 4s gone?
No III is pulling out. They will col
Tide. Can't you get No. 4S?" My hair
felt as though 1t was raising off my
head, ohills chased themselves up and
down my spine, and the cold perspira-
ton poured down my palid cheeks as
rushed with all speed and less grace
from the office and frantically waved a
white apron wore and which tore off
as ran, but the crew Of the freight
failed to look back as the caboose sailed
round the curve, and my heart almost
failed me as / realized that the only
hope now was to catch No Ill before
they left ON"
ran back into my Office and sank in
to chair, no longer able to stand OH
my feet, scarcely breathing until In a
few-hours it seemed to me, but in
reality-seconds the dispatcher called
me, saying, We've got No. H." Were
ever words SO sweet to mortal ears? The
tick Of that little brass sounder as it
rang those words through the room was
like sweet music, 80 welcome were they
to me.
How did they get No. Ill? ! will tell
you. When I told the dispatcher that
No. 4S was beyond recall, he opened a
window in mad haste and screamed tc
the people on the platform below him,
''For Gods sake, stop that trainW And
they, realizing that something was ter
ribly wrong, rushed after the rapidly
disappearing mechanically waving
handkerchiefs and umbrellas, screaming
like madmen. finally attracting the at
tention of the rear brakeman just as No.
III was going out Of sight and hearing.
They backed up on siding and waited,
and soon the freight train pulled into
"M." station, the crew as unooncerned
as though they had not just escaped a
smashup and the possibilities Of instant
death few moments before.
A white faced operator, with trem-
bling lips, leaned out of the window and
asked them, Haven't you forgotten
something's" And tho forgotten order
was suddenly remembered, but too late
for them.
The whole crew was of course dis.
charged, and I-well, when those wei.
come words were licked off that dear old
sounder, telling me that No. 111's crew
and passengers were safe, l lost con.
seriousness and only came back to life in
time to hear the conductor Of No. III
say to his engineer: Poor girl, she has
tainted. She is almost frightened te
death.
Had not warned the dispatcher in
time for him to catch the passenger
train, there would have been horrible
collision, and we can only picture tt
ourselves the horrors accompanying such
catastrophe
My reward was a position with the
company and handsome gold watch.
staid with the company but shor'
time, however, for l never could cure
myself Of the horror l had Of railroad
telegraphing produced by my terrible
experience that wintry day in January
and as l write this story, sitting hert
in my cozy little sitting room by
bright coal fire, watching the flames
creeping around the black diamonds il
the CRATE, as l 60 over the scenes ant
situations Of that dreary afternoon,
shudder and wonder if old Father Time
will ever enable me to forget tina
dreadful experience, SO that can speal
of it all without q shudder. North
west Magazine.