St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-04-23
/ The Brakeman $ Race

THE conversation having warped III
self around to the discussion OF
speed, the man who had but lately come
into the deliberations of the smoking
room congress remarked:
"Yes, sir, race horse is fast and q
railroad train is faster, but there's
something that Gun lick the whole lot"
. "H-m-m!" said the man who had lied
about bicycles. "The tables Of statis-
-ttics don't recognize it, then. What sort
OF machine or animate body 1t is?"
'It amt either one. It don't breathe
NOR turn wheels nor anything like that.
II is Just two long, half-beveled planks
that turn up Httleat the front end"
The others looked at him wearily. A
story about plank that could get over
the country faster than fast express
train was plainly and tiresomely false.
and IL did not help the thing out any
20 say that 1t was two planks.
"You don't believe what I'm telling
lyou." the stranger remarked, with a
shade of regret in his voice. swell,
then, it's plain you never saw pair OF
iskees."
"Skees?" the whole crowd chorused.
"Some ignorant people call 'em skies
'becau--they're spelled with AM. But
they're skees-a kind Of second cousin
Ito O snowshoe, with some blood rela-
itlonship to sleigh runner.
"Out In the wcst," he went on,
i'sthey're common property In the noun
tain country. You fasten foot to each
ski and start down mountainside, and
III It's your first trip you haven't got
very far in your experience before you
have landed across the valley seven or
~ miles away.
what was going to say was that a
pair Of skees is fast thing. Maybe
can prove it to you by telling Of a little
incident that came under my observa.
zion. 1t wns out on one of the slopes
down which the South Park line pitches
"a continual descent for about II miles
Our train, which was an accommoda-
tion string Of freight cars with coach
i nt the hind part, was pulling and chok.
ing up the mountain, and had ggt te
about the sixteenth mile, suNHDse
when the beginning OF this story hap
Ipened. It was In November and the
snow had not yet got the better Of tho
section men--was beaten down pretty
well between the rails--just smooth
nice chute between high banks Of white
Well, sirs, as we neared the summit
swhat happened? Nothing scarcely
only that the coach broke Its coupling
and before we on board could realize
md jump of she. was kiting down tha
snountainside pretty much like o tele
gram. We ran TO the brake and set il
and she eased little, and then we heart
i. a sort of straining, and the brakeman
who was the only railroad man oi
B board, said that the chains were Civ
s ing ara we'd be or at full speed agail
before she'd have d chance TO slow up
\ We knew what that meant, for ther
was train following us q couple o
& hours back. The coach would go slid
ing down that mountain like a gunsho
and out over the plain. and somewher
away Off in the level OF thevalley woul'
find that other train and mix with !
and strew us around In sort OF human
debris.
"It looked mighty serious, especial.
as those chains creaked the more, AM
we were still proceeding at three-year
old gait down she hill. One man turne'
to another. and the other locked in
i qutringly at the next, and then tn
'bralSeman-great, noble, profoundl,
gwise--hnd an inspiration.
" Three miles up the valley he said
there's junction where o line runs u
to the Old Tom mine. IT we could ge
that switch thrown for the mine track
which is five miles long and uphill al
? the way. like this. we'd be all right
"sHuIrahl' everybody yelled. An
then: But how in thunder can il b
doneT
watch me- said the brakeman. 81
paved into the baggage compartment
and brought out couple OF long, hook
nosed planks. They were pair Q
skees be had bought down at Como 70
the operator at the Summit. We scarce
& ly knew what his plan was and locke
with interest as he strapped tlRsn 7