The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-06-04
"Snw the Light Engine Emerging
IHrOm u ShnIIOxX CmtN

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"Snvv the Light Engine Emerging
From II Shallow Cut"
behind him. would be crOWding the
limit. These "scwing-machines We're
famous riders. The springs were so
light and so perfectly adjusted that
one of these locomotives would ride as
easily as the engineer of Il Pullman car
does does TO a commercial Traveller,
with one seat for himself and another
for his feet. As the little machine
rocked around the corners. screaming
at every curve. the engineer and fire
man kept q sharp lookout ahead, at
the same time coulting the minutes
and reckoning the miles that still lay
between them and the spur.
Down the desert one of the Swift2St
engines on the road was trembling
away toward the sewing machine. and
at the end of each minute the two loco
motives were a mile and a half nearer
each other.
To be allowed to pull" the general
manager is an honor earnestly strivcn
for by engineers. and when once OBJ
tanned it is carefully guarded. What
W. record a man makes at the head
of such Il train is sure to count. for or
| ilSdlllSl MN, SlIitt ne IFS llltn tItIliS
lndcr the eye of the management. The
chances are always in favor of a good
run, for the train dispatcher. with his
own reputation at stake, can be de.
pended upon to keep the track clear.
He Will hold Il passenger. train ten
minutes rather than hold the special
five. Another point in favor of the
| special engineer is the fact that he is
due ut no particular point at any Speci-
fed time. and, having no time-card to
hold him down he may regulate the
speed of the train to suit himself. He
is always an experienced runner who
knows the road-knows every low
sag on the division-consequently the
officers put no limit upon the speed OF
the train, but leave it all to the good
Judgment of the engineer. 1t was Il
clear, dry day in the early autumn, the
very best time of the year for a fast
run, and "Old Sam had beer gauging
his speed for fifty miles back so as to
hit Coyote spur on the dot, and break
the record for fast running on the Al
kali division.
By the rules of the road five min
utes were allowed for the variation
of watches, but the rule is not always
wholly respected, and as the nal on
the special was known to be a daring
driver the sewing machine crew saw
that they were in a close place long
before the smoke of the approaching
locomotive was seen. Now they had
barely five miutes left and nothing for
the variation and the coveted siding
four miles away. If,,the opposing
train failed to respect the "hve-minute
rule she might, ut That moment, be
passing the spur. At last there re-
manned but a single mile and only n
minute TO do it in. The throttle was
wide open and the little engine was
rolling 50 that the bell rang continu-
ally. The fireman had put in his last
fire, and was now straining his eyes
to catch the smoke of the special, The
engineer, with his left hand on tie
whistle rope, chung to the side of the
cab to keep from being thrown out
of the right of way. -. -.
The wheels under the sewing ma
chine were so small that the best she
could do was forty-tivc miles. and now
when she anne down TO the very last
second there was still n quarter bf Il
mile between her aud the meeting
point, but at that moment the flying
wheels of the special cpgine crashed
over he switch and shut her out. The
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sand hills, was straining every nerve
to reach the passing point at which
she was already overdue. The mar
On the special was just beginning tC
feel sure of his position when he
rounded G curve and saw the light
engine emerging upon Il shallow cut
OF course he shut off and tried to less,
en- the force of the collision. but tC
stop was out of The question.
The fireman on the light engine saw
the special and warned his companion
for they were curving to the left and
the driver could not see. but the foul
men knew that nothing short of q
miracle could prevent 4 dreadful col
lision and that in 4 few seconds time
they would all be piFnd; up in a,heap
Both drivers had called to their fire
men to jump, and the tiremcn had
turned to their windows. The specia.
engineer was in the act of reversing
that he might take the good opinion
of the officials with him. The other
driver only showed the throttle lever
in. bTaced himself and awaited the
shock.
\ man who has never lived up his
last momen on earth and survived Il
tell about it afterwards. can cvel
know how much business one car
transact, in his mind, during that mo
mcnt in which he waits and listen:
for the swish of the scythe. But o II
does not always review his past lift
at such n moment: often he wastes
time thinking upon a mere tritfe, EX
Representative in Congress. LATE
Pence was in a wreck the next da!
after bis election, and although ht
had been Il Democrat and had become
a Populist. he gave no thought to thu
past nor the future. but said to him
self. as the sleeper plunged down III
:. cnibanhmcnt. "NoW, what the deyi
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