The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-08
SCARED HIM WORST
THE ENGINEERS WILD RIDE AROUND
HORSESHOE CURVE.
Forty Coal Cars and Ten Crippies Pushed
Hin Down the Ell at Lightning Spees.
Lively sprint OF the Train and Two Imp
ty Engines Ahead.

HiEn Down the Ell at Lightning Spee.s
Lively sprint of the Train and Two Imp
~ Engines ahead.
The worst scare ever had, said the
old engineer as he pulled meditatively
upOn his pipe, was on one raw Novem-
Der night comm down the mountain Of
Gallitzin 20 Altoona
u WASH I 70 greenhorn, neither. at the
time the thing happened, for I'd fred
three years right on that division and had
run an engine Is months, so a. far as ex-
, perieuce went had plenty, and hesides
knew the track like a book. which Is sayin
a good deal, since the horseshoe curve or
Kittanning point is right II the middle
Of ii.
A man has to be mighty well posted
before the COmpany'I trust him 70 pull a
freight up TIE mountain, much less bring
one down. II requires skin 10 haul a
string of emptieS up that hill with dou-
bic header and a pusher behind. but that :
child's play compared 10 brirein down a
train Of loaded cars with only one engine.
The sensation OF bcin in front of 80 or
so box cars on go foot grade and a wet
rail where the brakes won { hold is some
thin like them dreams teller has occa-
si0nally OF being showed over q bluff coo
feet high.
1t 5 skatin on mighty thin ice, / tell
you, and If you lose control OF the train
nine times out Of ten you'd better s,.y
your Now lay me- Wen, that night we
pulled out OF Johnstown with 10 coal cars
and 10 cripples for the Altoona shop
A crippe is a car needin repairs, you
know-maybe Drawbacks broke, the
roof leaks, or, what's commoner than any
thing else, the brakes are busted 1t 81
happened that every one of them ten cars
that night had no brakes, so they were all
put behind next the cab.
Along about 2:l5 in the mornin we
passed CreSson, and after Creepin through
the tunnel began To hustle down the hin
As l said, il was an ugly night, all damp
and fogQy, maxim the track slippy and
hidin the signals till you were right up
agin them.
In them days there was no such thing
rs airbrabes on freight cars or engines
and we had to depend on the hand brakes
bein set by the brakemen to check the
speed, aided, Of course, by W hat the engine
could do By holdin back.
well. when we got on the grade It
wasn't long till the wheels began To hum,
and the old freight was bumpin along at
mighty lively gait. let her go. thinkin
il would be an easy matter 10 slow down
when we reached Allegrippus, which, rs
you know, i Just around the bend above
the horseshoe
''AN at once tower shot out of the fog
right ahead, and there was a red light
dead against me. You bet was scared.
for TO run past Il REQ light means 80 days
vacation. / bowed for brakes, turned on
the sand and motiored for Billy to twist
the tender brake. Instead of stoppin, ii
seemed as if We were goin faster, and it
didn't take a second for me TO realize we
were runnin away.
Say, talk about being chased by n herd
of Texas steers! That picnic compared
to bein showed. down the side Of a noun
tain in front Of 4 string of wabbly coal
cars. with the alternative Of jumpin the
track and plGngin into the valley hun
dreds of feet below or stic6in to the rails
and Tunnin into the train ahead, for all
the time, you see, ! was thinkin of that
red light we ran past, which was positive
proof there was a freight in front.
"'Yank the whistle, Billy, / yelled
Billy grabbed the rope and yanked. You
wouldn't believe what expression there Is
10 a locomotive whistle till you hear il on
4 runaway engine in the middle OF the
night.
AS luck or providence would have II,
the train in front was made I'D of empty
emigrant cars pulled by second class
passenger engine. When the engineer
heard our whistle. he knowed what IL
meant. and you bet your life he got 10
and busted
Ills train helm fitted with air. he had
q big advantage over us but he wasn't
thinkin Of brakes Just then I caught a
glimpse Of his tail IampS as thew shot
around "A bend, and they were dancin
regular lie.
All this time our crew was hustlin
hard a. they knew how purfin on the
brakes. but IT had no more effect than
the wind. / tell Won, l thought il was all
I'D with us when we turned the bend and
begun 10 rattle down the uuper side Of
the horseshoe.
''.BiIlv.' I yelled. I'm afraid We're a
goner'
Never say die. Pete. he shouted hack
meantime kecpin up MS solo on the whi,-
tie. II wasn't exactly a solo either. for
the engine ahead was plavin preftv much
the saIuo tune. and a. the fog lifted q mo-
meDt l saw what the trouble yvas-rhero /
were two ernpty ENGINES ahead Of the emf
grant train. each about a quarter Of a
mile apart and all scootfn down the sIops .
like as if the devil WAS after en-. Weu 4
il looked so Cor1icaI 7 had 70 Iaugb in
snjtc of myself and while I was cbuckIin
we struck the curve
How things shook and ecreeched and
-4..s-o4t " ! - :. - J. IL 7 IL