The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-26
CY WARMERS RAILROAD TALES.
How j. P. Flynn Saved Passenger Train as Related BY
S. V. Derrah

1Ilc'd-rllsEs as statue, his eyes peaer-
irlg tl-cugh tlla narIow eai5 wii-,3ow. al
olough, egRe fer the reflection Of the
heedEteIas uIon Jhe track. all was as
black as ala EgyrttaLl night
All the time we speak Of Thatcher
was the emily telegraph STATION between
Trinidad and LIE, JulaLa. Eaeaa slelfcn.
c. elciisls, however, Was pcrviG-d win Il
tel S sqaa bSx and every train crew Was
inquired to Gritty an opereLH-ll aCd a
ICtrable il-ciruansn.i,. 1.Gs * q l.4pa,
get off Ills time The 0peret0r wSfIl3 "cult
in ct tlai9 mss et6U-tg al-i report TO The
Dispatcher for Cr11izurs. Sometimes when
TIE ec-bw was daaq sf-,1 ,iils 'ope.1tl-t' go
sEl5ut 10 reach THE box conveniently the
| messages lhat eraarated f1ean IN 50 i'm
p'.oNls~d offiSSt5 WSUid enels lie ,..u5S
cut of the s'wt-cE.i-Lhrt q La JurLu.
On we few, past ranches and dug
outs, over bridges ard around curves,
until we had left HceAnss, EarIs and
Tyrone far behind. although. save for
the occasional sTrtek OF the whistle,
announcing the approach TO a station,
and an extra jar as we crossed the
I switch frogs, there vas nothing TO IN
1 dictate the vicinity of any living thing.
Suddenly rounding a curve the green
/ signal light at Thatcher came into view
and, with q glance at the steam
! gauge and another at his watch. Muir
/ if maddened by the touch, the iron
steed shot ahead, and with every nerve
throbbing, dashed down the half-miie
| level stretch and up the long grade, on
! the summit of which stood the station.
! A few minutes after getting our run
! ming orders, the headlight of "l03"
/ showed up and very soon tle New
York express Numbered up alongside
/ of us. and Il moment later was gone
! again, the tail lights on the sleeper
| looking like balls of fire as they dis
solved in the darkness.
| Once more aboard with a dawn grade
! and q regardless order, the fireman
! curled up On the seat I had vacated and
! was soon lost in sIumber I was for
| tunate enough to have some cigars
| with me. and Offering one to Murphy,
! was pleased to note that after lighting
the same his grim, stern features re-
| Taxed, and, bechonirg me to share his
| seat, seemed disposed to be sociable.
/ There was nothing to do but watch the
steam gauge and keep an eye on the
track ahead, and soon we were skim
ming along at a 45-nile pace. 1t
| tranSpired IN conversation that Murphy
was an old Pennsylvanian, and before
| coming west had put IN some long and
| hard years of service on eastern roads.
Pressing him fo- some incidents of life
ON the footboard, he mellowed up at
once and RECALLED me with story after
story, all of which were replete with
interest and many of them exciting to
a high degree. Some of these mad al
ready worked their way in.o print, but
to be fully appreciated should be told
with all the wild accessories which
surrounded them that wiutry night
Incidents in railroading life during the
rebellion and during the MoIlie Mcguire
troubles in the coal regions hairbreadth
escapes from collisions and falling
bridges, followed in quick succession
until [ felt that we were about TO re-
peat in fact what I was listening to in
the story.
After dashing through Iron Springs
the shrill scream of the whistle had
hardly died away until the old mar
shut her off" and slowed up for water
at Timpas L was quite overcome By
fatigue and the strange experience o.
the trip, and, While Murphy once more
fabricated the muscles of old '63,
fell INFO G0ze, from which l with diff
ficulty awakened after he again CAM
, into the cab and once more started Ii
on our journey. a fresh cigar lirnbereC
| him up again. and shortly after whist
ling for Benton. ne took a few yigorou.
whiffs and said: NOW. young man