The Opelousas courier., 1897-12-25

Capturing a Runaway Train .
BY A. NJ. STRONG.

IueIe Lave lately Deeu turned Out
of the Southern Pacific railroad shops
at one of the big terminals of that
road on the Pacific Coast four Of the
largest consolidated pattern engines
in use, designed especially for noun
tain work, whose plans and specifca-
tons were drawn by probably the only
lady expert mechanical engineer in
America, if not in the world. How
she attained her present position is
one of the railroad legends Of the
road for which she works, but I believe
the story has never been in print.
A number of years ago, about fifteen
[ believe, some lucky prospectors
located mining claims away up in
the almost inaccessible f%ortressess of
n of the mountain ranges of the
West, and the phenomenal riches of
the lead amply repaid the heavy ex-
penses of the "mule train" that was
used to 'spack" the output of the rail-
road. Eventually the prosperity of
the first proprietors brought other adj
v%enturous spirits to the lucky spot and
later a rich syndicate brought out al
The smaller claims on the ledge and
established there the great mills and
shelters of the Calumet Mining and
Smelling company.
Then the Southern Pacific people
awakened to the Importance of the
enterprise, and after a series of con-
situations with the syndicate, in the
course of which a very handsome
financial proposition was made by the
miners, a branch road was surveyed
mp through the canons to the site of
the now rapidly growing town. The
difficulties were almost insurmount-
able, but at last the work. was done
and a very crooked and dangerous
piece of track was the result. Its
grades were precipitous nthe extreme
its curves sharp to the last degree, and
its road bed SO narrow in some places
that if a car became derailed it was
either demolished against the rock
wall on Il side or went to the bottom
of the gorge on the other, there to lie
and rot and rust away. Once over the
cliff the cost of raising all ore car
would almost pay for a new one, and
the company seldom made any effort
to recover the wreckage.
One point on the short road had
always been dreaded by the trainmen,
and this was the sharp curve at the
approach to what was called the second
crossing. It had been a prolific source
OF wrecks and the rocks below the
bridge were strewn with broken tim
bers and bent and twisted ironwork of
dozens of ore cars that had plunged
over the sheer sides of the deep gorge.
This second crossing bridge was It the
foot of the heaviest grade and from
there the road wound through the
beautiful Silver Greek valley to the
Junction. where it joined the main
line of the Southern Pacific.
At the point where the level track
hardly a stones throw
from the second crossing bridge, the
company had built a short siding for
the use of the giant consolidated
that was used to push the long
trains of ore cars mp the mountain,
and just acros the main track from
the siding stood the little cottage
where John Clarke, the engineer, and
bis daughter, Jessie, lived.
Miss Jessie at that time was nearly
and for the last three years
had been her fathers h~ousekeeper.
All her life she had been Intimately
associated with railroad men, and for
ihree years that her father had been
the big "pusher' she had no
other companion than her little
brother, several years her junior.
ALI her spare time she spent with
'ather about the engine, and had made
t an enthusiastic study until, at six
zen, she knew its mechanism about
IS thoroughly as did her g~rayhaired
'ather in fact, it was her boast that
The could run the consolidator as
rood as daddy"
A short time before tho incident
happened of which I am about to tell
1ou, a tourist delayed by wreck at
he bridge had spent the day at Clarke's
The little h~ousekeeper had
made the day verypleasant for him by
him about the valley, and on
he hal given her a pair of
powerful feldglasses.
They were her dearest earthly pos
~ession, for with them she could, see
Ter fathers engine as it swept down
he mountain for nearly an hour before
70 would arrive at the siding.
The long stretches Of road as it
round around the crags up the canon,
Iow for mile in sight, then disappear
ng among the rocks, only to reappear
till further up the mountain, we're
ways an interesting study for the
irl, and but for those feldglasses, the
ound lady's practical knowledge of
ailroading and her unparalleled nerve,
he Southern Pacific would have had
wreck that would have cost many
YES.
One August evening Miss Clarke
as watching through the feldglasses
ne effect of the sunlight on the brilli-
Mt quartz rock at the farthest point
the mountain, where the track
ould be seen from the valley and only
short distance from the big mills at
1e top Of the hill. Her "a her and
is fireman had gone to the junction
n some supplies, and were to return
0 the mail" now nearly due. Her
tile brother was playing fireman."
nd with q big bunch of waist was
lbbing up the bright work about the
engine. The twilight silence il
valley was only broken by the oc-
asional hiss Of escaping steam and the