St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-05-21

Immediately, by the falling beams
and timbers Of the barn.roof.
Instantly the air was full of flying
splnters, wildly squawking hens,
dense clouds of dust. steam and
smoke. The terrified and amazed
country boys shrank back, falling
over each other in their frightened
haste. The end OF the barn against
which they madly plunged remained
standing, but the root had sagged in
from the centre of the ridge-pole
down to the throbbing, Kissing loco
motive. The latter impeded by rub
Dish. and with brakes tightly set,
had come, at last, to standstill,
and the engineer and fireman were
making their way out through the
fallen beams and planks toward the
clearer space at the opposite end of
the barn. Although pale with fright
and anxiety. both men, when they
saw the boys budding against the
farther wall, and heard the wild
squawking Of the hens as they still
scuttled and flew about, could not
resist the humorous appeal of the
situation, and burst into loud roar
Of laughter.
"Ho, ho, hol Quickest run into
the Grand Central on record ~
shouted the engineer, above the din
OF escaping steam.
"Well, by jimmy! if this amt a
queer old shell to bring up in!" ex-
claimed the fireman. "Confound the
washoutl Wonder if we dragged the
coaches with us, or left 'em behind in
the ditch ?"
After the first shock of fright was
over, it did not take the boys long
to comprehend the situation. A
washout had thrown the express
from the rails, and the engine had
bumped across the little strip of
pasture and crashed into the Stani-
ford barn. But what had become of
the cars and the passengers That
was the allimportant question now.
And to solve it, the boys with one
accord plunged out through the
broken side OF the barn, following
the engineer and fireman.
The six coaches had broken loose
from the locomotive, soon after the
latter had left the rails, and were
strung along, at varying intervals,
between the track and the barn. One
lay on its side within few yards of
the track. The Others had managed
to keep upright, though the trucks
of several were smashed, causing
them to tip forward or backward in
a ticklish looking way. Not a pas
senger, fortunately, had been seri-
ously hurt, and all were now hurry
ing in excited groups toward the
barn, where the imprisoned engine
was belching forth clouds of steam.
Hello, Toni" shouted the con-
ductor, seeing the engineer emerge
from the barn. THANK God! you're
saie-and Dick, too. Well, that was
a pretty narrow squeak for all of US.
II the accident hadn't happened just
where it did, on that little strip Of
fiat road-bed, we'd probably been
piled up at the foot of an embank.
ment in a blazing ruin by this time.
Come on, all hands ?" he cried to his
crew Of trainmen, land haul that
rubbish off from old Fifty.seven
before she sets fire to it,"
The railroad men, aided by manv
of the passengers, set vigorously to
work, and dragged the fallen timbers
from the engine, while the engineer
raked out his fire and thereby re.
moved all danger of an explosion.
Soon the Kissing Of the steam ceased,
and with it the excitement of the
crowd began to subside.
How long shall we have to STAY
here, do you SUPPOSE" asked one OF
the passengers, approaching the con
ductor.
Pour or five hours, dare saw"
replied that functionary. Were
hundred miles from nowhere, so to
speak. The only thing to do is to
walk to the next station, five miles,
and telegraph to Dubuque for aid
and to stop other trains till the
tracks fixed. I've already sent one
of the brakemen."
And have we got to wait all that
time for something to eat, I'd like to
know" demanded portly gentle
man, who did not look as if he had
missed three-course dinner single
day in his life.
"Well-I'm afraid sO " renl;ed tba