The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-06-06
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HEROINE OF SILVER CREEK.
a Exciting Incident Taken Literally
70 From Real Life.

bie s5own behind the lofty peaks of the Pinon
Ike nrf&nge, and down in the valleys it was al
pc fomost dark. High up on the eastern side
: 90f the canon the bright light of the king
madof day still showed on the masses of gilt
# contering quartz that had been blasted out
to the little branch railroad,
'atiop hat, leaving the - Pacific at Calumet
iousS function, wound its torturous way fir
9 con- miles up through the canons to the
musgreat mines and mills of the Eldorado
desti Mining company.
have Years before a party of enterprising
on itsprospectors had located a phenominally
b tberich vein of gold bearing quartz in the
fna Hills, and had afterward sold out to
asyndicate of capitalists, who, by liber-
'e as al use of money had persuaded the rail
Dad company to build a branch line to the
,ga little town that had rapidly grown up
About the mines.
cd salt had been herculean task, and even
ction at it's best it was as yet very danger
GUS piece of track, with exceedingly
tr;ot heavy grades and sharp curves, clinging
ontad with scant foothold to the rocky side of
ouph some almost perpendicular cliff, or cross
ing some yawning chaSm ON q slender
tho structure of steel that looked dangerously
MOI frail in comparison to the great weight
of the massive engines and heavy ore cars
ha hat were constantly passing over them.
ran, H The most dangerous point on the road
CON Twas at the bridge known as the Second
,on kCrossin, q substantial steel structure
tha Swung between the rocky walls of deep
inal eorge at Ine Dotlon Oh wlcn ollVet cr gS;
ON. SGrande. The bridge itself was safe
enough, but the sharp curve on the east
ha Iern side of the canon, which the peculiar
Dint formation of the country made necessary,
- had been, since the opening of the road
prolific source of trouble 1t was no I'M
common thing for cars to get beyond
nh Ith1 control of the helpers at the mines
tba and go laundering down the heavy grade
fbe to this curve and at that point leave the
tbe track and go crashing down to the rocks
oil below The rails on the bridge were
Sass nearly 400 feet above the waters of the
and Stream and the bed of the creek and the
Intervening lodges were strewn with the
70. splintered wood work and twisted and
100 broken iron of dozens of ore cars that
and had gone over the cliffs.
md The western approach to the Second
roe Crossing was across little level plateau;
,as' Just little following out on the cliffs
ary on that side and on the plateau the rail-
'' road company had built side track on
,d;- which was kept a powerful pushing en-
90 CINE, which was used to help the one reg
-" rtlar crew. which handled all the traffic
- on that line, when going up or down the
'H mountain with the freight trains. The
. crew was busy all the early part of the
day taking long trains of empties up the
mountains and bringing down the heavy
L
round trip with coach and baggage
car, carrying up the passengers, mail and
-, express to the mining town. On all the
ii freight trains the pusher was used, but
% during the latter part of the day was only
:, needed in case of emergency.
q One of the Oldest and most experienced
: SSfreight engineers had been placed in
|%charge of the pusher, and for nearly three
E. years he had been living in the neat lit
tie cottage the company had built for!
fh.o ,Nina If r.
cuped by the tracks near the Second
Crossing. His 16-year-old daughter was
his housekeeper, and her only companion
during her fathers absence was a little
brother some years younger than herselt.
Quite a character was this girl, Jessie
NClark. Coming to this rough, mountain
home when she was only girl of ID;
w ii no companionship except that OF her
>lather, his fireman and her younger broth
er, she had made her fathers occupation
- study, and two or three times each week
rode up the hill beside him on the foot
board of the big pusher. Constant asso-
citation with train and engine men had
made her familiar with the work in every
detail, and it was her pride and boast
that she could handle the consolldator as
good as daddy"
8 One day, now nearly year past, she
had gone to the mines with an inspecting
party of railway officials and had consti-
Btuted herself their guide about the great
Il nllllS ana SIuHDS OIL Iue mlllluS Company
'eSIn the party was the son of one of the di-
directors, boy of about her own age, and
/ before the day was out the two were fast
friends. On the return trip down the
I mountain the youngster was showing his
new friend powerful pair of field glasses
sshe had been carrying all day. and, as the
train rounded one of the sharp curves III
1.-the canon, had, with the aid of the glasses,
shown her her own little home, i've miles
away by the track, but only about half
~ i NInf rr
az was enchanted with this, to her, new play
~ thing, and her young friend showed her
how to focus them on distant objects.
AS the train was stopping at her nome
to let her off the boy, in spirit of generos-
n ity and wanting to requite her for her
III kindnesses throughout the day, told her
II she could keep them until he came back:
l8 In the year that had passed they had
IA been her greatest treasure, for with them
M she could sit on the doorstep and watch
n "daddy's train" as it crept slowly around
III the dangerous curves on its way down
III the mountain. The next yearly inspection
~ might come any day when she would nave
III to return them, and every spare moment
she could find she was sweeping the tow
3 ering mountain sides in search of new
beauties to remember when she could no
longer have the use of the far-seeing eyes.
This evening she was sitting in the door
x waiting the return of her father ana ms
N fireman, who had gone to the lunGtion
D - the "mail." Just across the main track
Lz-'sfood the giant consolidated engine; quiet
Z now, save for the occasional hiss of escap-
A ing steam and the steady monotonous
Y pound of the air brake pump, which, IN
y his hurry to leave, her father had forgot
n ten to stop. She had just noticed the fact
that it was still working and knowing
that it should be stopped, was about to
\ 60 across to the engine to, shut off the
Il Steam. She had risen with the field
Classes still in her hands. Suddenly,
through a rift in the hills the sun poured
4 its brilliant glare on the glittering face
/. of the s rock at the lookout curve" The
beautiful effect of the light on the masses S,ts
Sbe stained and raised the glasses to her
y eyes f6F one last look while the light last.
ed AS she looked her face suddenly
paled and she lowered them again, gave gave
one close, searching look, and droP p 9
4 them in the doorway called 10 her mu .5
u H. wing the