Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-07-20


tered, "A tornado, I'll bet
Shouldn't WONDER was all the re-
ply made.
1--WE swept on a little faster. l
thought we might be safer to get in
to port before the storm struck us.
Then 1t occurred to me that we would
be better or probably runnin' than
standin' still. So / slackened speed q
little an watched the sky anxiously.
suddenly from the very middle Of
the black cloud somethin' seemed to
extend way down to the earth. 1t
looked as IL the cloud had burst, an
was trailin' along the track right be-
hind us. i knew that sight only too
well. 1t was rushin' down upon us like
fiend. The sun was still shinin', but
the fieecy clouds around 1t made 1t
food the landscape with a sickly
glare.
"'Say, Jim, that fellow is after u.s.
said as quietly as possible.
eyes, an it's q reg'ler twister,'
snow when a tornado is rushin'
down upon you at the rate Of eighty
or ninety miles an hour you forget all
about the danger there Is in record
smashin'. At least did. There was
that big, ugly-lookin' cloud followin'
us with a fearful noise. 1t was so
close that we could hear the rush and
roar of it. / gave one frightened
glance at its terrible centre, an then
opened the throttle of old 90. Jim be-
gan to pile coal on, and shake up the
fires. We were directly In the road Of
the tornado, and unless 1t veered to
one side or the other, or we could sue
coed in outrunnin' 1t, we were doomed.
But 90 responded to my touch like
horse. She snorted and puffed away
as If aware of the danger behind. The
wheels revolved so fast that 1t seemed
In another moment we were speedin'
along at rate that would have made
me sick at any other time. But we
weren't goin' fast enough yet. The
horrible cloud was still gainin' on us.
more coal, Jim, more coal! shout
ed. we must go faster
swell, he knew the danger, too, an
he perspired like porpoise as he tried
to get up more steam. Faster an
faster we flew. The strain on the en-
CINE was severe, but never thought Of
that. just put on all the steam we
could get. We were now holdin' our
own with the tornado, but it was still
a race for life or death. If anything
should give way the storm would be
down upon us in an instant. We were
really balanced between two great
dangers.
eff we can reach Great Bend We'll
be all right 1 said to Jim, as we
both looked anxiously at the pursuin'
cloud. There's turn in the road, an
well get out of the path of the tor
nado.'
"'But we must cross the bridge first
Jim said in reply.
eyes, but we can't slacken our
speed
81 knew what he was thinkin' Of.
The bridge across the large arm Of the
Arkansas was only a wooden structure
then, and it was not over-strong. To
rush across 1t at our tremendous
speed might cause catastrophe. But
the bend in the road did not occur I'M
til after the bridge was crossed. Until
we reached that point the road was as
straight as Decline.
Neither one spoke after that. We
alternately watched the pursuin' tor
nado and the track ahead. We just
held our own and had no time to
spare. If we lost one minute the nor
rible fiend would be down upon us.
"'The bridge! the bridge is ahead!
suddenly shouted Jim, and l thought
his face turned a shade paler.
Il could not believe it at first. l
thought that the bridge was miles be-
yond, and it was hard work to realize
the distance we had covered since the
tornado first alarmed us.
"'Now for it, l muttered to Jim.
Here goesv
Il opened the throttle. Then No. 90
gave q loud, prolonged, shrill screech,
that might have been her death knell.
The next instant she reached the
wooden bridge, and Numbered upon it
like the rumblin' of thunder. The
structure swayed and trembled under
the weight. When we reached the
middle it creaked and cracked, and
seemed ready to give way at any mo-
ment. But we passed the middle
safely, and the other shore was al
most reached.
"'See. seev Jim shouted.
II looked behind and shuddered ut
the sight. The tornado had reached
the other end of the bridge, and as If
angered at the prospec. Of our escape
the mighty wind was rippin' and tear
in up the wooden structure as il 1t
was made Of straw. We touched the
other side none too soon, for the whole
bridge began to sway, and then top.
pied over before the furious onslaught
Of the wind.
"But in another moment we reached
the bend in the road, and rushed out Of
the path Of the tornado. We slowed up
a little then. and watched the baffied
fiend hurry past us, carryin' death and
destruction with It, We both gave
sigh of relief, and then turned to check
the terrible speed of our iron horse.
I'VE brought her to n standstill at
Great Bend station with difficulty. 1t
seemed as If she hated to stop, and
she pulled and painted like a living
creature. On the platform stood the
superintendent.
"Why, hurrah, Martin, you've brok-