Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-06-14
A LOST FREIGHT CAR.
How IL Disappeared From the Mid
die OF the Train.

uie OF the Train.
The mysterious disappearance OF
freight car No. 1910 from the center
OF a moving train between way sta.
tons on the Santa Ee road made a LOT
or trouble for two train crews in last
March and puzzled the officials OF the
road not a little. The car was loaded
with fruit for the eastern market and
dropped out OF sight midway ON the
Journey without damage to the rest
of the train and without any one bav.
ing seen II go. Tracers were sent out
but the car was not to be found on
siding or in depot yard.
The tracers' reports showed that the
car had been loaded with select oranges
on spur leading to well known
fruit packers establishment In the San
Gabriel valley, California. 1t was a
new car, equipped with all the modern
cold storage appliances. 1t was Joined
TO train of cars of the same class, all
loaded with fruit and all destined fol
the same market.
The heavy train had wound It's way
without incident over the Sierra Ma.
DIRE and the Sierra Nevadas, up the
gradual slopes, across the continental
divide, through many villages and over
saSebush plains and sandy deserts. II
had toiled through eastern California,
Arizona and a part of New Mexico, ii
mad climbed the rugged steeps of the
Rockies, plunged into and through the
great tunnel ut the crest of that range
and started on its downward flight to
Trinidad.
That was as far as the tracers had
been able to track 1t, for in Baton. a
division station on the Santa Fe, No
4S49 had been noted in the conductors
report when the train was turned over
to new crew. Yet when the train
reached Trinidad No. 1910 was miss.
ing, and no trace of it could be found
between Trinidad and Baton. For all
that the racers knew, No. 4S4o might
nave been whisked up into the air by
balloon and transported to some for
eign land.
a lot or discharges had been made
out for the members of the two freight
crews, and there was trouble I'm the air.
threats OF strikes and all that sort. of
thing because of the injustice done to
the men, when suddenly the mystery
was cleared up. A cowboy reported
strange find on his range, and II turn
ed out to be the missing freight car.
Na. 1913 was lying at the base of n
preclpitous cliff in thiclet of under.
brush, with its sides distended, its
ROOF buiginS and confused mass OF
choice oranges appearing through the
cletts or its wrecked outlines. The car
was on its side. dismounted from its
TRUCKS, mass of ruins, with Its con.
tents preserved by the crisp mountain
air under cloudlcss sky.
The train, in It's rapid descent Mt n
sharp curve, had broken the fanges of
set Of wheels. and the car was
thrown from the track.
humping over the rough roadbed and
ties had detached the couplings at
either end. and the disabled car rolled
Gown the steep etnonnkra sax TO ne raj
ley' hundreds of feet below. The train
peing on the down grade, the rear SEQ
ZION soon closed up the gap, and by
means of the automatic coup!ers had
again-become attached to the front sec.
uon, all unknown TO the train crew.
Thus No. 1910 dropped out OF account.
leaving its disappearance a deep mvs.
tery.-New York Press,