The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09


reason than to prevent the employees from
her into the shops, rebuilt and repainted
her, so that when she came out again TO
be limbered UP she looked better than ever
before. When she had found herself"
again, as Mr.. kiping would say, she was
sent back TO the mountain division, the
scene Of her last escapade Her coming
was not regarded as a joyful event by the
trainmen and enginemen of the fourth di-
vision, and the division master mechanic
Knew II, and for some time she stood in
the roundhOuse with the dust and ashes
on her jacket, until her rods ruSted and
her bell began to corrode. Then for the
same reason that she been brought out
OF the field at Denver, she was taken
from the roundhouse and put in order.
One Of the regular engines on what in
Death Run" having been disabled, the
Rockaway was ordered out in her place.
While every man on the road dreaded her
and hated the sight OF her. there was not
one among them who would shun the re-
sponsibility Of handling her II il fell 10
him: so when Engineer Ryan and Fire
man North was called to take the night
run with 1W they made nothing of 1t but
signed the book, said good-by TO their
families, and went away. IL may be that
each fingered at the door a little longer
than usual, and took an extra kiss or two
from their wives and little ones. but that
was all. They did not mention the fact
to their wives that the engine on the cali
book was the fatal 107. To do that would
have been TO increase the anxiety of the
women folks without diminishing tho
Ryan. though usually cheerful and en-
tertaining with HIS delightfully."- musical
Irish accent, was silent as he went about
oiing and inspecting the machinery, and
North looked like man going to his own
funeral
and she stood with calm dignity on the
siding while her wild. maynard and dis
reputable sister, all gaudy in her new
paint, with changing bell and blowing
steam, with polished headlight and new
flags futtering at her shoulders, glided
backward, like gay girl on rolling skates,
to take her place. She had helper up the
hill, one of those heavy mounted climb
ers, and when they came to the steep
grades, and the powerful mogul with
steady step marked perfect time the
Rockaway fretted and chafed like a spoil
ed colt. At every curve her feet would
fly from under her, and her wheels go
round fast that IL 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 so 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 fiues
and crown sheet. In good time the mogul
dragged her and her train to the top TO-
500 feet above the sea. and left her to fail
down the western slope.
Ryan smiled at Noah" North and he
smiled back over the boiler head as they
whistled for Gunnison, but their smiles
soon changed to sadness, for the dis
patcher came out with an order for them
to continue over another division. This
took them through the Black Canon, which
was then to trainmen what the Black Sea
is to sailors. A new road in a mountain
country is always dangerous until the
scenery gets settled and loosened rocks
roll down and the cuts are properly sloped;
and this piece of track through the Black
Canon was then especially SO, though not
now.
They We're nearing the place where Nc
Ivor had found the rock; the night was
clear, the rail good, the grade easy. and
they were turning the curves gracefully.
while now and then the steam-for she
was always hot-escC ping from the dome
of the Rockaway screamed in the canon
and startled a lion or caused a band of
elk or deer to scamper away up a side
canon
sat in an open observation car at the
rear of the train viewing the wonderful
scenery. made weird by the stiffness OF
the night. How wild the walls looked
with their white faces where the moon
light fell and dark rccesses wher the
shadows We're. To the right, beyond tbe
river the falls of Chipeta leaped from
the rocks $500 feet above the roadbed
and tumbled into the water below; while
to the left Curicani's needle stood up
among the stars.
II was not the time of year for rocks
to fall, for rocks only fail in the spring
and this was summer: but the unexpected
is hardest 10 avoid, and now, for some
unaccountable reason, q great rock whose
wake was afuerward followed for more
than a mile up the mountains came down
with the speed of a cannon ball and
striking ROckaway 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 current
brought the lucky Irish engineer out of
the cab however, and at the next ben5
of the river threw him out on a rock The
parting of the air hose set the automatic
brakes which, as the train was on
down grade were already applied lightly
and-the track being uninjured-the train
stopped before the second car had passed
the point where the engine left the rail-
The murderous rock, standing in the midi
die of the deep stream. showed still three
of four feet above the surface of the river
The roadmaster, another Irishn1aD
whose name, l think. was Hickey, came
from the smoking car, took in the situa-
ton at glance. and, being used to such