Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-09
RACED WITH A wATERsPOUT.
Thrilling Experience Of Passengers
ON a Mexican Train.

From the Mexican Herald.
Tuesday afternoon there was a race run
between a passenger train on the Inter-
oceanic and waterspout. The race was
declared draw. as the train escaped from
the immediate effects of the waterspout
which burst against the crest Of a noun
tain, but the immense volume of water
poured down the mountain side, along the
rcadbed. and finally caught up with TIE
train and inundated it SO that the passen-
gers had to be taken off in handcars.
The particulars Of this unique race are
highly interesting. 1t was the daily passen-
ger train from Puebla to this city and a
large number of passengers were aboard
About 4:3O o'clock the sky became suddenly
covered with masses of black clouds. An
inky waterspout cuIebra as it is called by
reason of its resemblance to a writing
serpent, hung from the heavens and ad-
Vanced rapidly in the track of the moving
train. There was great excitement among
the passengers. The people in the third
class coach, who had The best view of the
phenomenon, went down on their knees in
prayers for deliverance.
One lady had a nervous attack and faint
ed. When the engineer learned of the
panic aboard his train he decided to show
the culebra his heels. Then began the pref
test race on record. with the lives of load
or passengers as the stakes. Up grade,
down grade, around sharp curves, across
bridges and over the levels flew that pas
senger train, with the waterspout just be-
bird and gaining just little.
The train entered a canyon turned a
curve, and at the same moment the chasing
cLlebra came to grief high up the noun
tain SIDE. The water poured down the slope
in raging torrents, and as the train emerged
from the other side of the gorge a vast
Sheet of water, bearing trees, rocks and all
Kinds of debris on its bosom, threatened to
,ergulf 1t. Wider the engineer threw the
throttle. endeavoriHg to escape this new
danger, and all would have been safe, but
another sharp curve interviewed and the en-
CINE jumped the track. The engineer saw
the danger ard reversed the lever and ap-
piled the brakes. The engine rolled down
the embankment, but the rest of the train,
including the tender, remained on the track.
The next moment the mass of water
struck the now stationary train and flooded
it to the level of the platforms. The pas
SergerS and crew were helpless to do more
than look out to see what had become OF
the engineer and fireman, supposing them
killed. But they both scrambled, or rather
swan out of the window of the overturned
cab and clambered back on the train.
This happened in the vicinity of San An
torio Capulalpam state of TlaXcala. A re-
lief train was dispatched to a point as near
as 1t could get. and the passengers and
crew of the Shipwrecked train were trans
ported in hand cars and brought on to
Mexico, arriving here only four and one
half hours late. and with an experience
which none of them will ever live long
enough to forget. and which, had 1t Lot
been for the presence of mind of a nervy
engineer. none of them would, in all proba-
bility. have lived to remember.