The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-05
Ayers
Cherry PeeIoraI
is put up in half-size bottles at half
price-50 cents. - af e7

car up again, ran away from it, and on
1t came, gaining speed with every jump.
Remember, boys, we were on an Old
'dinky' engine that was hardly good for
thirty mile-an-hour gait. Then, to add to
our trouble, one of the men, in looking
back, discovered on the rear off-side
strip of muslin about a yard long tackled
to the car, upon which were about a dozen
big black letters. This streamer had been
overlooked by us in the hurry of switch
ing the car out from the siding. The man
that made the discovery only pointed with
his finger, and couldn't say word. We
all looked back at the same time, and the
car shot into sight around a curve and
slowly, letter by letter. spelled out the
word, dynamite.
''The entire crowd was sobered up in a
second, but then it was too late and we
had to fly for our lives. We knew we dare
not risk the smallest shock to the car as it
was an old one, and sure to break up at
the least resistance. And then-well, it
was Kitty bar the door
Jim, over there, didn't nave the throt-
tie at first, but he was soon in charge, and
you should have seen us busting. The
car behind us was not losing any time
but to our strained nerves seemed to be
gaining on US. When Jim first grasped
the throttle he thought of picking the ce r
up Notwithstanding the risk but when he
discovered that it was dynamite behind
us he turned to the old engine and set
about making her do the best time she
ever did in her existence.
while we were running like the wind
down the road we got a blow between the
eyes that added to our misery. The
sparks that our engine was throwing out
at the ra tie of about bushel second set
fire to the top of the car, and the wind
soon had quite flame darting up into the
air.
ION a level stretch we would seem to be
gaining on the car but on a down-grade
heavens, how that car crept up on US.
Then we rounded sharp curve, then an
other, and the can was lost to sight.
Just as we began to wonder at its disap-
pearance noise like thunder shook the
ground and engine under us, and then we
knew the cause. The car had left the
rails at the first curve, went over and
down the high embankment, and the con-
cussion and fire had done the rest.
But we kept on home. all the fight and
whisky knocked out of US, and it was a
month afterward before L saw the spot
where the explosion occurred. The wheels
and axles were there yet, but that was all,
and deep hole in the side of the hill left
no doubt in my mind that it was our stol-
en- car of dynamite that did the digging. I
made a resolution after that trip to steal
no more cars s h.
'rWell, you fellows were lucky, but I've
been lucky myself" chimed in a we'll
known official from Pittsburg, "only had
two cars of dynamite to deal with instead
of one. 1 was kid in the business then,
running a pusher between Connemaugh
and Cresson, up in the Alleghenies, help
ing freight and coal trains up the hill at
the time nav little chase took place
zone night it was our, turn to assist what
was known as the national freight up the
mountain. We started out from Come
maugh about midnight pushing the train,
which was made up of about twelve cars
of sheep, two box ears and fifteen or TWEEN
ty four-wheel coal cars The box cars were
at the rear; that is, right in front of us.
We made pretty fair time up to South
Fork. Then The engine in front of the train
began to steam badly, and what with us
pushing hard and Ii pulling by fits, il
wasn't long before the cars were humping
and jerking pretty rough. Then saw the
conductor coming back over the train as
hard as he could. When he got within
hearing, he yelled:
LET up on that humping. Jake, for
Gods sake. We've two cars of dynamite
on the rear end.
Ibid let up? We'll you better believe
did, ana mighty quick, too. l blowed for
brakes, and the engineer in front answer
ed and as the grade there is about rs feet
to the mile, we soon stopped. | sent the
fireman forward to tell the engineer in
front to try and get his steam gauge up,
and that l wasn't going to bump myself
into eternity If j could help it.
after my fireman was gone discover
ed that the water sn the tank was low
and concluded to run back to a stand
pipe about a mile down the track to I'LL
1t up. So, cutting the coupling myself,
l dropped back TO the water tank.
found out afterward that the crew didn't
know I had gone, and had failed TO put
the brakes on the last cars, thinking my
engine would hold them, and also being
a little chary about handling brakes on
the dynamite cars.
when l reached the standpipe, and was
In the act of throwing the rubber hose
into the opening of the tender, / caught
a glimpse of the tail lamps of the train
coming toward me at very high rate
of speed.
81 knew a once what had happened. The
train had broken in two, and part of I
was running wild down the side of the
mountain toward me. Accidents of thar
sort occur very frequently up in that dis.
trict, but. there isn't much danger in stoD-
ping the wild cars; all that is necessary
is fore the engineer OF the pusher to run
backward slowly, so as to make the bump
when IL comes, easier than II the engine
stopped. ..e 8.wN
well, Bob. Il was something like your
case. You can bet / wasn't laundering to
stop two car loads of dynamite that way.
especially as l ran the chance of them be-
ing old ones. and when I saw them coming
didn't lose any time getting away from