The Opelousas courier., 1899-10-07
; Capturing a Runaway Train
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'SN$A' "NSAA h"i ~
of the Southern Pacific railroad shop!
at one of the big terminals of tina
road on the Pacific Coast four Of the
largest consolidated pattern engine:
in use, designed especially for noun
tain work, whose plans and specitica
tons were drawn by probably the only
lady expert mechanical engineer il
America, if not in the world. How
she attained her present position is
one of the railroad legends of the
roadfor which she works, but I believe
the story has never been in print.
A number Of yeas ago, about fifteen
[ believe, some lucky prospectors
"located' mining claims away up in
the almost inaccessible fortressess oi
one Of the mountain ranges Of the
West, and the phenomenal riches OF
the lead amply repaid the heavy ex-
penses of the ''mule train that was
used to ''pack" the output of the rail
road. Eventually the prosperity of
the first p~roprietors brought other nd
venturous spirits to the lucky spot and
later a rich syndicate brought out al
The smaller claims on the ledge and
established there the great mills and
smelters of the Calumet Mining and
Smelling company.
Then the Southern Pacific people
awakened to the Importance of the
enterprise, and after a series of con-
situations with the syndicate, in the
course of which a very handsome
financial proposition was made by the
miners, a branch road was surveyed
up through the canons to the site of
the o rapidly growing town. The
difficulties were almost insurmount-
able, but at last the work was done
and a very crooked and dangerous
piece of track was the result. It's
grades were precipitous in the extreme
its curves sharp to the last degree, aud
its road bed so narrow in some places
that if a car became derailed it was
either demolished against the rock
wall on one side or went to the bottom
Of the gorge on the other, there to lie
and rot and rust away. Once over the
cliff the cost Of raising all ore car
would almost pay for a new one, and
the company seldom made any effort
to recover the wreckage.
One point on the short road had
always been dreaded by the trainmen,
and this was the sharp curve at the
approach to what was called the second
crossing. 1t had been a prolific source
of wrecks and the rocks below the
bridge were strewn with broken tim
bers and bent and twisted ironwork of
dozens of ore cars hat had plunged
over the sheer sides Of the deep gorge
This second crossing bridge was atthe
foot of the heaviest grade and from
there the road wound through the
beautiful Silver Greek valley to the
Function" where it Joined the main
line of the Southern Pacific.
At the point where the level track
commenced, hardly a stones throw
from the second crossing bridge, the
company had built a short siding for
the use of the giant consolidated
engine that was used to push the long
trains of ore cars mp the mountain,
and just across the main track from
the siding stood the little cottage
where John Clarke, the engineer, and
his daughter, Jessie, lived.
Miss Jessie at that time was nearly
and for the last three years
had been her fathers housekeeper.
All her life she had been intimately
associated with railroad men, aud for
three years that her father had been
running the big ''pusher' she had no
other companion than her little
brother, several years her junior.
All her spare time she spent with
about the engine, and had made
it an enthusiastic study uatil, at six
teen, she knew its mechanism about
rs thoroughly as did her grayhairea
in fact, it was her boast that
could ''run the co1solidator as
good as daddy"
A short time before tho incident
happened Of which I am about to tell
you, a tourist delayed by a<=-u:1, at
he bridge had spent the day at Clart e's
The little housekeeper Md
made the day verypleasant for him 1:y
plotting him about the valley, and "a
he hal given her a pair Oh
powerful fieldglasses. 10 %
They were her dearest earthlNfpos-
session, for with them she could, see
Ter fathers engine as it swept down
he mountain for nearly an hour before
le would arrive at the siding.
The long stretches of road as it
wound around the crags up the canon,
low for a mile in sight, then disappear
ng among the rocks, only to reappear
till further up the mountain, we're
lways an interesting study for the
,irl, and but for those feldglasses, the
'ound lady's practical knowledge of
ailroading and her unparalleled nerve.
he Southern Pacific would have had
ne wreck that would have cost many
ives.
One August evening Miss Clarke
7as watching through the f~eldglasses
he effect of the sunlight on the brilli-
MT quartz rock at the farthest point
the mountain, where the track
ould be seen from the valley and only
short distance from the big mills at
ne top of the hill. Her ia her and
is fireman had gone to the junction
Or some supplies, and were to return
n the mail" now nearly due. Her
tile brother was playing fireman."
nd with a big bunch of waist was
lbbing up the bright work about the
ig engine. The twilight silence in
valley was only broken by the &C.
hiss of escaping steam and the
:eady, monotoaous pound" Of the
on the engine, which her