The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-08

through and beside the river. 1t was q
comparatively straight route and per-
fectly natural one, and our surveyors
found very little to do for 10 miles on Ell
ther side of this spot. The trackmen also
found their task easy, and, in fact, the
work was pushed forward very rapidly
when the construction gang came TO that
section. But one day, as the men We're at
work on the rail laying, singing and talk
ing to each other, suddenly from the cliffs
above there came roar and rumble, and
tremendous body of rock came hurting
down upon them without moments
warning. II fell square upon the newly
laid track and killed eight men outright.
Naturally enough, this unfortunate ca
testrophe cast something OF a gloom over
the others, and they FASTENED to get
through that part of the country with
their work after the dead men were gath
cred up and carried back to the last sta
ton. But as accidents of this sort are
constantly happening the matter was soor
forgotten, comparatively speaking, and be-
ing busy with ether affairs we who heard
of it Gid what We could for the wives and
children of the men who were killed and
then let the matter drop. But not so the
men who had witnessed the accident. Like
all ignorant people, they were supersti-
tious, and enc among them, made half
crazy by seeing his own brother uuder tins
mass of stone, shrieked out that che place
would be accused from that minute on.
And you may believe me or not, but thai
prophecy has come true.
Twelve months later the first train
PASSED over our road, and IL the flush OF
victory and natural pride the entire board
OF directors, Of which L was ore, accompa-
MED it. Everything was going well, AMI
we were enjoying the trip in more ways
than one, when suddenly, ss we came u
that particular spot where the rock hal
fallen, our engine stopped, and the next
second the fireman came running back TO
tell us that the engineer had dropped dead
at his post. This unwelcome message
rather dainpened our spirits, but laying
the poor chap out in the front car we
drafted another engineer. whom we had
with US, to take his place, and Went Oh to
the end of the line As got of, upon
reaching there, to direct the others what
to do with the dead man, passed ore or
two OF the original construction gang talk
ing, and single sentence that l caught
gave me a queer feeling down my spine,
acknowledge. it was, And this very
day year ago, Jim, them fellers was kill
ed in the gorge, do you mjndg The
gorge was the name given TO the spot
where our engineer had died that Gay.
Had l been superstitious man the coin
cidence would have mad ali unpleasant ef
feet on me, lam sure.
But the end had not come yet. A
year later to q day we had our frat Sc
rious wreck-a head end collision, it was,
too, ana 10 passengers killed and wound
own, my mind rather misgave
me when ! learned the accident had hap
pened in the gorge. OF course the place
itself had nothing to do with it, but there
did seem TO be a kind of organized plan
between fate and that miserable spot TO
do as much damage to us as possible. And
the men, 1 learned from section bosses
and others, were beginning to talk good
deal about the curse on the place.
well, to make u long story short, for
six years straight running we had an &C
eident or some sort in that gorge upon the
of the day the first one &C.
CURED, and every one seemed TO be little
worse than the last. Wrecks, collisions,
and what not seemed to choose
that place out of preference until it had
great The grumblings and talk about it
being haunted by the victims OF them all
began to grow 10 alarming proportions,
and though we strove to overlook and
shut our ears to such idle talk Ne were
to think OF it at any fac. Once
we even went so far as to bring r. up seri-
ously In a stockholders meetinA but as
there was nothing. absolutely nothing, to
do except caution the trainmeD.
But the climax came at las It was
seven years TO a day that the fr+t trouble
had occurred there when a hUr-ied mes
sage from the little station n.arest the
gorge announced the wreck we adj almost
become used to looking for, anG as l was
near the relief train at the time, which
was sent forward at once, / jumped
aboard, determined 10 see the last of it
When we arrived on the scene however, j
was as Mortified as the most sfiperstitious
Of the workmen, for, as l lirs, 200 yards
Of tracking had actually beec swallowed
up by caVein, such as has never been
known on this road before or since. And
one of the finest trains We Dad plunged
forward into an abyss 200 fec: deep. You
pre both probably familiar with this terri
bic accident which was exploited fully in
the papers at the time, so l won't repeat
It TO you. Bat you perhaps DO not know
That the next day 1900 of cur men went
but on a strike, and when W., came 10 And
what the trouble with them was-though
ibis did net get into the papers-we Were
that the gorge must be closed
ma the track taken through this noun
ain.
"'The ID place is cursed, sir, SAID
! leader TO me, and until the track is torn
up and put elsewhere we can't go back
It will be the death of us all in the end
f it's left there
And absurd ss it may seem, there was
rot single dissenting vote when the
proposition TO go through that mountain
70 get around the accursed gorge was
tlade And that is why that Tunnel Is
here today. "--E. T. Appleton n Cinein-
1ati Post.
QUEER THINGS IN POLAND.
Superstition Plays a Leading Role With |
f,s.