Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-22
A FEARFUL RUN.

/ have been a railway guard for moro
than 20 years, and during that time I've
witnessed many accidents, passed unhurt
through many tight places and had several
narrow escapes from death, but there Is
one experience that stands out wildly be-
fore all others.
1t happened in 1878, yet even now, after
the lapse of IS years, shudder at the rec
ollection'of the danger which threatened
us, though at the same time thrill with
admiration when think of the magnificent
courage of the man by whom this danger
was averted.
On Easter Monday of the above mention.
ed year had charge of an excursion train
coming back from Portsmouth to London.
We were standing by the platform of the
Portsmouth town station, Oh the point of
starting for homo, when a man, accom-
panied by two little girls, came rusL g
through the gate. The carriages were
packed in every compartment by happy,
singing eYcr-sionists, and knowing the
late conner would find it difficult to obtain
aseat beckoned him and told him to get
into my van. This, simple as it sounds;
was the luckiest thing ever did, both for
the company, myself and many others.
AS soon as the man and his children had
entered gave the signal, and away we
went through the gathering night on our
momentous journey.
/. My companion, whose name / subse-
quently learned was Edward Stokes, was
one Of those quiet, inoffensive looking
chaps who pass among their unobservanb
fellows for "soft,'' but beneath his work
mans coat beat as brave and unselfish a
heart as ever throbbed with life.
The first thing he did on entering the
van was to make his little girls as COM
Portable as possible, and they, no doubt
thoroughly tired out, were soon fast asleep
We had been travelling about half an
hour and had just cleared a station when
suddenly there was borne to our startled
ears the loud, fierce shout OF angry men.
We were going at a fair pace, and the noise
evidently came down with the wind-that
Is, from the direction In which we were
moving.
My van had the bullying sides so COM
mon in guards vans at the present day,
and was coupled next the smokestack Of
the engine. the tender going first l gazed
through the side windows into the night,
but beyond the subdued glare from the
engine cab could see nothing.
Another wild, angry shout. Isprang to
the window and leaned far out. There
was nothing to be heard but the singing,
laughing voices Of the passengers. be-
gan to feel terribly uneasy--a vague dread
OF something about to happen--an indie
Enable conviction that danger was hover
ing IN the air seized upon me- This feel
ing was intensified to degree will not
attempt to describe as we neared the next
station for instead of slackening speed
we were momentarily increasing 1t.
turned from the window to say a few
words to Stokes, but started back in
alarmed astonishment The man had dis
appeared!
His children were still sleeping peace
fully on the boxes where he had placed
them, but he was invisible. The door was
closed, the catch fast. / looked through
the opposite window, but could see moth
Ing. just at that moment we swept
through the station at terrific rate OF
speed.
This decided me. No signal had come
from the engine, but now felt positive
something was wrong. pulled the cord,
grasped the wheel, and turned 1t with all
my frightened force. But no response
came from the engine, and the kissing,
smoking brakes were next to useless while
the steam was on that mighty iron horse
Realizing that could thus do no good
let 60, and springing again to the win
dow l shouted, with all the strength of my
lungs, toward that palpitating monster
ahead, which, like implacable fate, pressed
forward with an irresistible rush.
have often been on fast trains while
travelling at their greatest speed, but in no
case have experienced repetition of the
peculiar sensation that came over me as
this heavily laden excursion train shot
through the darkness with the speed of an
express.
10 my excited Imagination the rails APP
peared to groan as we flew onward, the
wheels hummed with Internal glee as
though in hooking answer, while the night
air seemed to be alive with bowling, shrek
ing demons, all yelling, "Destructionr'
And now two stations, at each Of which
we should have stopped, were far behind
us, and we were approaching third with
undiminished speed. The signals flashed
their ruddy CLEANS Of danger, but we pass
ed them with roaring rush of scorn
Suddenly the locomotive emitted few
loud, kissing shorts, and, to my inexpress-
ible 10y, became conscious Of a great less
ening in our pace. few to the wheel
and applied the brakes, and I afterward
learned that Tom Noxon, the rear guard.
who was almost as frightened as myself,
had done the same thing at the same mo-
ment.
As we brought up with rattling, rasp-
Ing Jar, the Portsmouth express thunder
ed along on the down line. Going TO the
door, beheld the lights Of station not
more than SO yards ahead, and standing
BY the platform was local train full 81
happy holiday makers.
psrrsivsd 81 glance what had bssn