The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-04-10

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stations she would foam anG 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,
1O,O5O 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 GunDison, but their
smiles soon changed to sadness. for the
dispatcher came out with an order for
them TO continue over another division.
This took them through the Black
canyon, which was then TO tTainmen
what the Black sea is to sailors. 4
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 slopedY
and this piece OF track through the
Black canyon was then especially 50,
though not now.
They were nearing the place where
McIyor had found the rock; the night
was clear, the rail good, the grade easy,
and theywere 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 lion or
caused a band of elk or deer to scamper
away up a side canyon.
An excursion party, in heavy wraps,
sat in an open observation car at the
rear of the train viewing the wonder
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
ter below; while to the left Curicanti's
needle stood up among the stars.
It was not the time Of year for rocks
to fall, for rocks only fall in the spring,
and this was summer; but the uneXs
pected is hardest to avoid, and, now,
for some unaccountable reason, a greaS
rock whose wake was afterwaTd 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 punsp,
cut her clear from her tank and shot
her into the river with poor Noah
North underneath her. The swift cut
rent brought the lucky ITishman out
of the cab, however, and at the next
bend of the river threw him out on
q rock. The parting of the air hose
set the automatic brakes, which, as
the train was on a down grade, were
already applied lightly, and-the track
being uninjured-the train stopped be
fore the second car had passed the
point where the engine left the rail
The muTderous 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, I 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 came to the surface.
Hickey, overjoyed at finding Ryan
dazed and dripping, seated upon rock,
caught the wet driver in his arms
for they were very dear friends-and,
turning the pale face up to the moon,
asked anxiOusly: tom, are yez hurt
ed? say, Tom, spalle to me; Tom,
tell Inc, are yez hurted?"
Tom, upon hearing the voice Of his
friend, realized that he was really alive,
and said coolly: 'Hurted, now why the
devil should be hurted?"
That's So" said Hickey, whose wit
was as handy as was that Of his friend.
''That's so, I wonder yer got wetted."
They worked for two days and nights
before the ROekaway could be lifted,
| then she came up slowly, and 'Noah's"
body foated to the surface and was
taken back to Sedalia and buried. It
would be absurd to say that the rail-
road 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 long
time, and was never again employed in
passenger service. The foreman in one
of the repair shops wrote to Phila-
| deiphia and learned that 100 was com
pleted on Thursday and 1O7 on Friday
| As I said awhile ago, railroad employees
are not superstitious-they will all tell
you sO-much less railroad officers; but
it is a fact to-day that a new 10
connective or locomotive that
has been rebuilt is never taken
out on the Denver & Rio Grande
on Friday. No order was ever is
sued forbidding it, but it came to be
one of the unwritten rules of the road
la sort of Monroe doctrine, that is
always respected.
And now, aftera dozen years, after ell
that has been related here, which In
cludes only what the writer remembers