The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-17

and ran like a deer. When the fireman
was not fooling round the furnace door
he hung over the arm rest and watched
the world go by. began, Gaunt faced
and silent sat at the open window try
ing the water and Whistling for curves.
Uncle Sans servant in the mail car
was shutting letters and newspapers
He had finished the Ouray bag. which
he would leave at MontroSe. the Crest
ed Buttes and Ruby Camp bags to be
dropped at Gunnison, and was now
making up the Leadville pouch for Sa-
Ida. over in the express car the mes
sengers hung about with six shooters.
stretched upon the canvas cot, billed
to the agent at Sapanero, was stealing
little sleep. began. being east bound,
had the right of way, and only looked
at his watch occasionally to figure
where No. I would meet them His
orders ran him 80 minutes late, and
made it the business of No. to fix
and make the passing point The first
section of No. g was probably making
40 miles an hour, when began Whistled
for Roubideau tunnel. a moment later
they we're swinging round the curve
where the dark river lay in the shadow
Of the hill. While began, leaning out of
his window. strained his eyes to get
glimpse of the bridge. the RochaWay
turned sharply to the right and headed
straight or the open river Below the
tunnel it had been silvery starlit
stream. here it was a roaring river,
running bank full of black water For
an instant began thought the engine
had left the track, but feeling the rail
still beneath her wheels he realized a
second later that the bridge was gone.
The fireman saw the break in the track
and leaped out of the cab as the engine
plunged into the boiling food. began
at the first scent of danger closed the
throttle and applied the air. AS the
engine dropped over the bank, she
turned on her side, releasing the patent
coupling and at the same time parting
the air hose, applied the automatic
pressure to the wheels Of the three
light cars 50 suddenly and so effectu-
ally that only the mail car tipped over
and hung with her nose in the water
The mail agent climbed to the side door
and finally. with the help of the bleed
ing fireman. succeeded in escaping
from the slanting car. When the post
al clerk and the fireman pounded on
the door of the express car, the mes
senger waking suddenly. warned them
if they attempted to enter the car he
would shoot. The deafening roar of the
river made it impossible for them to
hear what he said, and when they be-
gan to heave great stones against the
car door he made good his word Nor
did he stop until a dozen 45-calaber
bullets had crashed through the door
and sides of the car. After waiting
for some time, the messenger con-
Guided that the robbers had been
frightened away and cautiously peeped
out. We'll, you IDIOT said the postal
clerk from beneath the car: Are you
out Of ammunition?"
began lived a lifetime in the mo-
ment when the Rockaway was Ieaping
into the flood. and now, when the en-
CINE struck bottom, 20 feet from the
surface, she began rolling over and
over like a corncob in flooded barn
yard. The picture of his past life
which had suddenly been flashed be-
fore his eyes, now disappeared, and the
engineer, hopeless, as it may seem,
found himself watching for an oppor-
tunity to slip out of the cab of the
rolling engine. Now he felt the engine
slam up against a big boulder in the
bottom of the river, and at the same
time his hands grasped a floating
something. 1t was the fPeman's waste
box, and the engineer, holding hard to
it, was dragged out of the cab and car
ried to the surface He had barely
time to breathe when a floating drift
swept over him, forcing him into the
water again. He held to the waste box.
having a hand in one of the handles,
and was soon brought to the breast of
the river again. All this had occurred
in a very brief space of time. but De-
gan was not a strong man, and the
strain was beginning to tell on him.
Once in a while, above the pillows of
the boiling flood, he got a glimpse of
the low banks of the river running
backwards in the dim starlight The
roar was deafening. The river surged
against the sands. the banks cruubled
and great cottonwood trees that had
stood there for half a century swayed
"a and fro and finally foil iuAN ,he