Smyrna times., 1902-12-24

reached the end of the rails, pitching
twenty-five or thirty feet down into
the ravine.
Something prompted me to turn my
eyes toward the other side of the traC...
and there | saw a group of men, ten
or dozen of them. all armed, crouch
ing at the foot of the embankment. AZ
the sight all my calmness took flight.
l forgot all about the danger we were
In. Drawing my revolver | emptied it
into the midst Of the group and had
the satisfacti0n of seeing two of them
tumble over. Then l threw the lever
forward and pulled the throttle wide
open. for now | was anxious to have
the thing over with, and the end, what
ever it might be, reached at once.
The train jumped ahead. and we
were almost on the switch when saw
a bolt of lightning coming directly to-
ward us. | say l saw it. | did see it,
and that is all l know. The concus-
sion that followed made the old engine
rattle in every joint and almost jolted
me from the cab.
When, a moment later, the realiza-
tiOn of our position returned to me, |
saw that the engine had passed over
the switch. A minute later and the
entire train was across, and then |
knew that by some means which l
could not understand we had escaped
the trap that had been laid for us
moment before we had reached it had
seen the open switch as distinctly as
l ever saw anything in my life. and yet
we passed over it in safety
1t was like a miracle. We pulled in
to Chattanooga about midnight. The
assistant superintendent happened to
be there, and early the next morning
he sent for me.
You seem to be the only man likely
to give me a clear account of your last
nights experience" he said. And when
l had given it he added sharply, You
are certain you saw the open switch?"
Eyes, sir" l replied; perfectly sure
of it,"
Then he turned to me suddenly and
said:
what was it that closed the switch
and let you oveFY
That's more than l can say" l re-
piled, "but something closed it or we
would have gone out over the siding
and then down into the gully"
mo doubt of that" he said; none
whatever. And you mentioned some
thing about an unusually sharp flash of
XErhi or oI,
time" He paused Significantly, then
added: ''Well, l want you to keep this
matter entirely to yourself. Take the
first train going out make a thorough
examination of the switch and find out,
if yOu can, what closed it so suddenly.
The next train coming this way will
pick you up, and as soon as you arrive
here report to me-"
The assistant superintendents sug-
gestiOn about the lightning kept my
brain busy during the trip. Could that
flash have been the agency whereby
we were turned from certain doom into
the path of safety? l got the answer
as soon as arrived at the scene of our
adventure and examined the switch.
Not only had the switch been closed by
being thrown violently into place, but
the parts where they came together
had been fused and welded by heavens
fires into a mass so solid as to prevent
the switch from ever being opened
again.
Some may say it was nothing more
than chance, others will call it good
luck, but l never think of it without
realizing that the bolt which struck
the switch and forced it back into place
came straight from him who "holds the
lightning in his hands"