St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-05-10


tended in hasty manner, with in
sufficient ballast, and that some day
when the water was high and the
pressure strong the dam would give
way and thousands Of tons of water
would rush in torrent OF destruc.
ton down the valley. But the dam
had held now for ten years or more,
and people had grown so used to the
rumor OF its unsafe condition that it
had ceased to impress them.
1t was now early fall. There had
! been heavy and continuous rains, and
could see that the water above the
dam was much higher than usual.
Suddenly, as sat looking out Of the
cab window OF the Colonel Merriam,
saw a number OF men rush TO the
end OF the dam on the opposite side
OF the river. Still no suspicion cross
ed my MUD that anything was
wrong until lot OF logs shot for
ward all at once and disappeared
apparently right over the dam at
its opposite end Then it burst upon
me like fash that the dam was
giving way.
can hardly describe my sensa-
tons at that moment or the thoughts
which flashed like lightning through
my mind. | realized tn It in a few
minutes, unless something could he
done to stop the break, the whole
dam would be washed away, and
the La Platte valley would be sub
merged in rushing, roaring, death
carrying torrent.
About FIVE miles down the river lay
the village of Jericho, right on the
bank OF the river. hemmed IN by hills.
The flood would surely sweep away
its whole population unless the place
could be warned. But how! 1t
would be impossible to telegraph.
for though the poles had been set no
wires had as yet been strung on
them. Suddenly the thought came
to me like an inspiration-the power
to save the village lies in your hand.
And my hand was on the lever of the
engine.
Within a minute from the time l
saw the logs dart toward the open
ing in the dam had made up my
mind what to do. The Colonel Mcr-
riam rolled off the turntable and be-
gan to puff down the main track
toward Jericho. Past the station
and the side tracked coaches thun-
dered the big locomotive, and as we
passed caught glimpse OF the as
tonished face Of the conductor as he
stood on one of the platforms. Then
well out of the village, | threw the
throttle wider open, and the Colonel
Merriam began to bound over the
rails likes race horse. CHANGING
back for an instant, my heart almost
stood still as | saw the iated dam
rapidly yielding to the water, while
behind me to- sed a dark, builng
foam crested torrent, almost filling
the narrow gorge and rushing on
with terrific speed.
The railroad skirted the bank Of
the river all of the way to Jericho,
and it the food should overIake me
both and my engine would be en-
quilted in that raging torrent. Could
| keep ahead of that angry water !?
Nay, that was not the question!
Could distance it sufficiently to
warn Jericho in time? How many
minutes would it take, asked my
self, to get the people out OF their
houses sand on to the higher land |!
Five or ten minutes certainly,
though the village was SO small that
one might have stood in the center
of it and made his cry OF warning
heard in the iarthest dwelling.
threw the throttle wider open.
The Colonel Merriam was fairly fly
my already, but the great drive
wheels spun faster and faster, and
the engine rocked so violently that
the bell rang with its swaying mo
ton. The unballasted roadbed and
the newly laid rails made track SO
treacherous and uneven that | feared
my engine would wrench herself to
pieces as she rocked along, but |
dared not decrease the speed. Rath-
er | must increase it, tor as yet
scarcely seemed keeping pace with
the ever deepening and broadening
flood behind.
The time had come to venture all.
threw the throttle wide open, and
the engine leaped forward as ii she
had felt the flashing OF the torrent at
her heels. If she had been racing be-
2. fore like a wild horse. now she was
flying like frightened bird. The
. trees and fences beside the track were
, blur, and the telegraph poles flash
, ed by so fast that they looked like
the palings of fence. A curve
would have thrown the Colonel
Merriam from the rails in an instant,
but fortunately the track was
straight from this point to Jericho.
The village was now III sight, and
looking back | could see that | had
? lett the wall OF water far behind.
t Still it would be upon the village
, within FIVE minutes after reached
| it. What could do to save the peo
, pie? All at once it flashed upon me
that | could at least get the people
t out OF their houses before | reached
, Jericho by blowing my whistle. Per
. hans thew would see the dark wal