The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-03-14

los heavy-mounted climbers, and
when they came to the steep grade, and
the powerful mogul with steady step
marked perfect time, the Rockaway
chafed and fretted like a spoiled colt
At every curve her feet would fly from
under her, and her wheels go round
SO fast hat it seemed she would strip
herself; and when the driver shut off
and dropped sand to allow her to get
her footing again she blew off steam
and wasted the water which is 50
precious on a heavy grade. Between
stations she would foam and throw
water out of her stack, and when shut
off show dry blue steam in her gauges;
so when they stopped the driver had
to hold her on the center, with her
valves closed and throttle wide open,
for that keeps the boiler strained and
holds the water up over the iues ond
crown sheet. In good time the mogul
dragged her and her train to the top,
10,050 feet above the sea, and left her
TO fall down the western slope.
Ryan smiled at Noah" North and he
smiled back over the boiler head as
they whisteled for Gunnison, but their
smiles SCOT changed to sadness. for the
dispatcher came out with an order fol-
them to continue over another division.
This took them through the Black
canyon, which was hen 10 trainmen
what the Black sea is to sailors. a
new road in a mountain country is al.
ways dangerous until the scenery gets
settled and the loosened rocks roll
down and the cuts are properly sloped;
and this piece of track through the
Black canyon was then especially so,
though not now.
They were nearing the place where
McIvor hal found the rock; the night
was clear, the rail good, the grade easy
and turning the curves grace.
fully, while now and then the steam
for she was always hot-escaping from
the dome OF the Rockaway screamed
in the canyon and startled a lion or
| caused a band of elk or deer to scampeI
away up a side canyon.
An excursion party, in heavy wraps
sat in an open observation car at the
ItdI III lllS lhlh mp NAlS "OANNN
full scenery, made weird by the stiffness
of the night. How wild the walls
looked with their white faces where
the moonlight fell and dark Iecesses
where the shadows were. To the right.
beyond the river, the falls of Chipeta
leaped from the rocks 500 feet above
the roadbed and tumbled into the wa
-. l-1-.-, .-L.lo - Al, Inft n, M =, 80
needle stood up among the stars.
1t was not the time of year for rocks
to fall, for rocks only fall in the spring,
and this was summer; but the uneN-
pected is hardest to avoid, and, now,
for some unaccountable reason, a great
rock whose wake was afterward fol-
lowed for more than a mile up the
mountains, came down with the speed
of a cannon ball, and striking Rock
away just forward of the air pump,
cut her clear from her tank and shot
her into the river with poor Noah
North underneath her. The swift IL
rent brought the lucky Irishman out
of the cab, however, and at the mex
lend of the river threw him out on
a rock. The parting of the air hose
set the automatic brakes, which, as
the train was or 4 down grade, were
already applied lightly, and-the track
being uninjured-the train stopped be.
fore the second car had passed tie
point where the engine left the rail
The murderous rock standing in the
middle of the deep stream, showed
still three or four feet above the sur.
face of the river.
The roadmaster, another Irishman,
whose name, l think, was Hickey, came
from the smoking car, took in the sit.
uation at a glance, and, being used to
such wrecks, ran along the bank be-
low TO be at hand if either of the en-
CINE men Game to the surface.
Hickey, overjoycd at finding Ryan.
dazed and dripping, seated upon a rock.
caught the wet driver in his arms
for they were very dear friends-and.
turning the pale face up to the moon.
asked a~nXiously: tom, are yez hurt.
ed? l say, Tom, spake 20 me; Tom,
tell me, are yez hurted?"
Tom, upon hearing the voice of his
friend, realized hat he was really alive.
and said coolly: Hurried, now why the
devil should l be hurted?"
That's So" said Hickey, whose VIII
was as handy as was that of his friend.
That's so, l wonder yer got wetted."
They worked for two days and nights
before the Rockaway could be lifted,
then she came up slowly, and "Noah's'
body tloated to the surface and was
taken back to S7dalia and buried. II
would be absurd TO say that the rail-
Dad company was in any way respon-
sible for the accident, but it gave Mrs.
North $500 to start in business for her
self.
Engine 107 was not rebuilt for a long
time, and was never again employed in
passenger service. The foreman in one
of the repair shops wrote to Phila-
delphia and learned hat 100 was com.
pleted on Thursday and 107 on Friday.
As l said awhile ago. railroad employees
are not superstitious-they will all tell
YOU so-much less railroad officers; bu:
it is a fact to-day that a new To-
connective or a locomotive that
has been rebuilt is never taken
out on the Denver & Rio Granda