The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-26

! track. While this was being done
| brakeman had cut the train in front of
! the last two cars and the regular en-
| gine in front had started ahead with
the other cars toward the north switch
| to back the four cars in on the spur
| las / shut off steam and centred the
| reverse lever my eyes fell on the order
| hanging over the steam gauge and for
some reason the warning gave me
| shock, feeling of danger that / had
! never experienced in the many times
| the order had been ignored. Even then
| I was not alarmed when I saw that the
| two cars were moving slowly down the
| hill, and / watched then only long
enough to see the rear brakeman clam
| ber up the side ladder and seize the
brake wheel. Then l tried the water in
| the boiler, started the injector, and
| again glanced at the cars. Evidently
| the brake on the first car was out of or
| der, as the cars were moving more rap
| idly and the brakeman was fastening
| toward the brake on the second car.
! He grasped 1t and swung around and
nearly fell to the ground. The brake
| chain was broken, and there was moth
| ing to hold the cars.
| I'm an instant the picture of an awful
| horror flashed before my eyes. No. II,
crowded with passengers, was coming,
| and those cars, running at terrific
| rying death and destruction to scores if
| not hundreds The scene at the moment
| the realization of the impending disas-
| ter came over me is before me now as
| plainly as on that day nearly 20 years
ago-the moving cars. the brakeman
| stumbling toward the side ladder to
| descend, the long line of shining rails
leading down the divide. the fireman
standing near the switch staG and gaz-
| ing toward the cars with eyes that re-
| flected the horror in my own, and 30
| miles below, on the line of the twisted,
| winding track a faint blur of smoke
that told me No. II had left Mountain
| Springs.
Before the moving cars crossed the
switch we all knew what must be done.
| The fireman, James Hurd. he is pas
| senger engineer on the Denver e. Rio
Grande road now, had thrown the
switch and swung himself onto the
footboard back of the tank, and the old
| 105 was in pursuit of the runaways.
| The brakeman remained to close the
| switch and Hurd was bracing himself
to couple the engine to the swift NOV
ing cars when he should approach
them.
| mo steam is ever used in going down
| that hill at the top of the incline the
| throttle valve is closed and the speed
of the train is controlled by the air.
Drake. bu, as Jim duru tooh ms
stalu oh .ne loo.noalu opeIeuF 'lis
then put on the air until I had her un-
| der control, and then away we went.
| The runaway cars were fully 100 yards
| dheau as we closseu the sWl'eH anu
| WERE ihoylils apparently at tne late u
! elsht .! ~ mites an iouI WIN nn lapiu,s
| lncreaslls as momentum. H. II oo seGolius
old loo was running oV niiles an houi'
| anu III oo seIoiius i,ip!e we were clo9e
| 10 the cars. nearu Jim voice iaihtly
| appVe the fd'tle anu toar as ne shou'eu
| soliieti,lLs, anu SHOWING .hat II Was ~
SLOW uoWn III oruer 70 approaCl lne
| cars Wittou. ciasn' appileu tile an;
silsnt Joll ,olu me tlie engine anu
| car had come tosether, anu aitei walt
| ing an instant 10 give huIo tlnle 30
| alop the pm N place ! puiieu "he an
waive 10 lessen the speed. AS the engine
SioWeu ulluer .ne pressure ol .he pfahe
! saw tne cars sllue away .roli US. ne
llaG llllsseu tle COUPLING. Asaili eiIsltie
anu cars came loSetier anu asalil ! aP-
piteu Tue an WIN .iie aaihe iesuit'
| M we were running ho" d, d speeu Vi
! oo Or ~ ililes an noui, anu Mhe,i you
cohsluer ma me .lach oil Ine mn Is
ehe crooheuest ever sur'eseo ny al,
ehslheer' CUT up py 'ueep ravlnes anu
cahsons anu nauihs aiolis liSh Plecl
plces' you can appreciate the danger ol
Tue run. DoNh me mn we tiiui~iueleu, ~
swinging thfoush deep cuts ana afouhd
shafp curves the engine sWaylhs anu
swinging on her springs as II Struggling
! IN an e1tort TO dash herseil into one oi
the sorges ilhlhg the track. Inc engine
was surrounded py roiilng clouds OF
dust through Whlcn at times caught
gilmpses OF the cars pltchlhs ana TOSS
/ ing IKE some dls1nasteu Vessel IN
storm at sea. knew the cars might
Jump the track at any moment-ano
there was rlsht soou chaEee ior tnelr
dolhs so-and dltch the LOCOMOTIVES
sendlns the nfeman ana mSsell 10 quick
death' out we must take the cnances
so long as there was possiplilty OF
stopping the ruhaWays.
| AGAIN ana again we trleu 70 make
the coupling, nut tailed each time. i
dld NOT know untll all was over the dlf-
hcultles the nreman was experiencing.
| me draWheao IN the car was the oiu-
iashloned single INK pumpef-a man
| Killer, we call II noW-and was so loose
CNTt