Evening star., 1898-10-22

the fireman became i'll with the fever and
We made bed for him in the baggage ear
with cushions taken from the passenger
coaches. AT about noon the engine was un-
coupled and ran down to Jackson with
three objects-to try to get food and medi-
cines. to communicate with the train dis
patcher at Magnolia and to see just how
formidable the Instructions were. We failed
in all but the last named of these purposes.
i was satisfied that the ropes, chains and
tar barrels could not stop train running
at full speed. The chief danger was that
the chains might get under the wheels ana
cause deralment
But as both ropes and chains swung high
er than the bottom of the cowcatcher and
lower than the bumpers at its top / was
convinced that the danger was not as
great as it was intended to be.
The Only Way Out.
After the engine had been run back and
recoupied to the train we held council of
war, in which 1 urged the feasibility of
running through the Instructions at Jack
son that very night. 1t happened that my
uncle was master mechanic of a big north
ern road and that l had been around loco
motives from childhood. Two of my cous-
ins were engineers, and they had often let
me do the running under their watchful
eyes. 1 offered to do the firing, and my
plan was adopted
Before the darkness of night fell, how
ever, the engineer also went down with
the scourge, and our plight became des-
perate indeed. To remain where we were
meant death by disease or starvation. for
some of us at least, and when We had
made bed for the engineer similar TO the
one fixed for the fireman we held another
council. l offered to run the train through
Jackson if one of the brakemen would do
the firing. There was risk of course, but
there seemed to be nothing else to do as
our situation was becoming intoerab!e.
One of the brakemen family consented to
help me, and we began our preparations.
To protect the sick men as far as pos
Sible from shock when we struck the OBJ
structions we piled cushions from the
coaches all around them, filled the tank
with coal and water and got up good head
OF steam, the gauge registering 135 pounds
to the square inch, which was all that the
rules allowed that engine to carry. At 10
o'clock we were ready for the plunge
through the darkness, and 1t was indeed to
be plunge through darkness. For miles
above jackson the track was perfectly
straight, but it ran through a dense forest.
TO conceal our purpose as long possi-
BILE had decided not to light the head
light.
Taking a Desperate Chance.
You may imagine that 1 was extremely
nervous when the moment came to get un-
der way For all 1 knew it might be
plunge to horrible death, but my nerves
became steadier the instant that l opened
the throttle and felt the great machine in
motion. L realized then that our safety
might depend upon my GOODNESS. AS we
gathered headway L gradually eased the
valves, and before two miles had been ira
versed we were dashing through the tun-
nel-like blackneSS of the forest at a speed
of fifty miles an hour. AS there was quite
a heavy down grade the speed constantly
increased The roadbed was none too good
at that time and the engine swayed so vio-
lenuy that | feared she would throw her
self from the rails. / was hot and cool by
turns, and l know that my hair was stand
ing end.
AS we neared Jackson we could see the
HgureS or men moving quickly about in the
dim light made by the burning tar barrels
our approach had evidently been discov-
cred and was creating great excitement.
Ihe thought that other Instructions than
those which We had observed might have
been put in position, or a rail removed
Hashed through my brain, and for a mo-
ment my heart seemed actually to stop
beating. So acute was my fear that l near
ly tainted
Fortunately. I recovered my presence of
mind in time to shut off steam and throw
the lever forward before we had come with
in furlong of the ropes and chains l
knew that this was necessary TO avoid
bursting ftues or blowing out a cylinder
head at the moment of shock, and besides,
the impetus was as great as it could have
been with the steam on.
Daring Exploit.
1t would be impossible to describe nv
sensations as we drew nearer and nearer to
the distractions. l was conscious of see
ing sea of flames and sparks all about
US as we struck the burning barrels. of re-
ceiVlng what seemed to be a heavy blow
on top of my head when we reached the
chains, and then all was dark.
When l recovered consciousness I found
M me tralnmeh pouring water over my head.
Ihey told me that the train was miles be-
low jackson, where IT had been stopped
by applying hand brakes that my head
had been thrown by the shock through the
front window of the cab and that | had
several scalp wounds, made by broken
glass, the scars of which by the Way will
last as long as / do. All the other men
were bruised somewhat, the smokestack of
the engine was bent trifie, but otherwise
no damage had been done. The conductor
said that when the chains and ropes were
struck the train seemed to stand still for an
instant, and then to rush onward even more
swiftly than before. The guards at Jack
son, he said, had been too terrified by our
daring exploit to do any shooting.
There were scenes of horror at Grenada
Holly Springs and Woodhaven In all of
which places nearly everybody had died
The moon was shining brightly as the train
reached the station at Holly Springs On
one end Of the platform was a pile of
Howard Association relief boxes and on the
other a still greater pile of ready-made
coffins. From out the shadow of the coffins
there crept wildly shriekng, white-haired
woman, carrying a lantern. She was the
only live creature and hers the only light
that We saw in that town. We learned
afterward that she had been made a ma
MAC by the loss of all her loved ones. 1
can hear her horrible cries even now some
times in my dreams
Scenes of Horror.
I'VE passed through places where teleg-
raphers had died with a hand on a key
while IN the act Of sending forth an appeal
for help.
THE officials of the road thanked me
for bringing the train through and 1 pro-
ceeded to New Orleans, where there were
other scenes OF horror. Net hotel in the
city was open and l spent my first night
in a lodging house in the French quarter
Two dead men were taken from the house
that night. Next day | got a boarding
place patroniZed by operators. Four of
my roommates died one after another in
quick succession. Nineteen of the twenty
one operators IN our office went down with
the fever and thirteen died. Strange 10
say although 1 nursed and slept with men
suffering with the fever, l was not sick at
all, except at heart, which happened very
often.
THE southern people now know better