The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-20
sUcKING SNOW WITH STEAM.
a Maine Engineer Who Had u Great Reputa-
tion fer Getting Through Drifts.

- ~Stsshh 81
From the Bangor Whio and Courier.
Whoever Of the boys that used to hang around
the railroad station in Brewer. Me-. when Agent
Hall was alive and running things. can forget
Texas jack" the most daring. engineer
that railroad company ever employees In
those ov days n nTexas jack was No.. admi red S;i
name spoken, just because he was such
q daring engineer, and because, of the many
thrilling stories they had heard railroad men
tell about him. and whenever he drove his old
iron horse into the Brewer. station they all
focked about to get q look at him, and whoever
was fortunate enough to hold a hit of CONVERSE
ton with him was the biggest boy in the crowd.
1t was just such a day as a week ago Saturday.
only it was in March. and had been showing
steadily for four days with no signs OF n let up.
The snow was nearly four feet deep on a level.
one Of the worst storms ever known in this sec
tion of the c99Hntry., Down on the Bucksport
passenger train with three engines buried
up in the snow. unable to, move one way
Track tr ine near 1--WE Whiting 1.f hil on grade sns was naf the h moPn:
ing, east-bound train buried so deep that not an
enormous drift. Two engines had been sent out
to pull the train out of the drift. but had proved
unsuccessful, and were buried smokcstatk deep
about so or 100 yards this side of the train.
1t was finally decided to send Texas Jack"
to the rescue. forh he was a man WHO took pride
the power it had. and no seldom failed to reach
the place he wanted to, snow or no snow. All
place. but "Texas Jack" seid that he could
fetch EN- II the company would only give
him a chance to try. He was given one of the
biggest and strongest engines the company
owned. and he steamed her over the bridge to
What excitement there was around Brewer
station when the news licked over the wire that
Texas Jack" was on the way to break out the
a snow plough ahead and a "eaboose" behind
every boy of us piled into the "caboose," each
s so %ii6 "Te q ss0 JSe ikn%9v nnyW Sfa wf he w reaay TO TO
go and just as fast MS he wished to carry us.
DO you think you can reach them 2 asked
Agent Hall when he slowed up to get his orders
,.'Rooch 'em, !" he replied. "Tll poke the nose
Of this here old plough into that lost engine or
Hcj jumped onto the engine and backed up the
throttle wide open, and the way we Went through
the town and by the station was a caution,
e deaF li Roy to o KEGS cps on hU oar fse onto each other for
Up the Brewer grade we went like mad. that
old plough throwing the snow into the air in
sharp curve, and then the grade goes the other
%way-.down; We all took a look out Of the Ca.
sec what was ahead. There was what looked to
be about n half mile, ahead an immense drift
to.w.eering up right in the middle of the track;
get through that drift we'll do well. and I'm
thinking we'll 10 into the ditch when we strike
Just then Texas Jack 4" gave the old engine
more steam and we started ahead at n more
rapid pace, and how we did fly down that grade!
Nearer and nearer we were coming to the big
drift. but how near we were unable TO tell. as
we could not see ahead now. Every one of us
stood up In the corner OF the car, holding on to
each other, for wo expected every minute 10
strike the drift and be hurled into the ditch
with the whole business. 1t wasn't quite so
bad az that, however. for in another instant the
nose OF the plough went into the drift and tho
whole gang of us was piled into the forward
end of the car In a heap.
We had slowed up considerably. but did not
stop, The old engine was pulling and blowing
for all she was worth, and the way Texas
Jack pushed her through that long. deep
column OF snow was a wonder to us all.
All OF a sudden we struck something solid and
stopped. and the shock sent us all into tho end
OF the car again; and with more violence than
the first time. We jumped out and made our
way through tho snow to where tho plough
had brought up. and to our great sur
prise Texas Jack had done Just what no said
he would do-"pOke the nose of that plough in
the lost e~nginc"-and In less than an hour no
had pulled the two engines and the enstbound
train back TO the Brewer station, where he was
greeted with much enthusiasm by the large
crowd that had collected and as he steamed
back to Bangor we gave him three cheers.
IL was one OF the worst blockades the road
ever experienced and one OF tho widest rides we
fellows ever had or ever expect to have again.