Evening star., 1902-01-11


it. indescrfbably majestic and awful, hung 9
leaning mountain of clouu, black-green al
the base and smoky through all It's foamy
crags It seemed pitching forward as II
to fail upon and overwheim the world.
Halfway down the boiling mountain an i'm
mense island of brassy vapor was piungfng
into it like a moving continent. ] saw the
two twisting together like mighty serpents.
and knew that death was abroad in the
sky.
Stevens did not seem to notice It, His
eyes were feeding on the reaches of track
before US. Swinging in toward the NUS
for half mile or more, lost sight Of the
colliding storm clouds for a little space,
but when, a half-minute later, we rushed
round an outward-bending curve. 1 saw,
miles away to the northeast, a forest being
torn into fragments. Above 1t whirled an
indescribable cylinder of cloud, an appall-
ing monster of destruction. Almost black
at the base. it lowered heayenward fol-
thousands of feet and spread out against
the sky, dark green and veined with curl
ing forks of lightning. AS it spun round
1t seemed an infinite auger boring into the
1t was moving toward the southwest with
far greater speed than ever a locomotive
ran.
] was on my knees tn the 1eft-hand for
ward window of the cab clutching the
framework as the engine rolled and
plunged. l glanced at Stevens He was
leaning forward watching the track ahead,
veins on his temple distended, the
coTuS OF MS neck SIanQing OuL Ine
fireman seemed never to look up. The
handle Of his shovel was wet, his face was
streaming.
There they are! Stevens suddenly
Give it to her!" He surged forward over
his knees, as if he would push the rushing
engine faster.
l looked ahead, for my eyes had been
lifted to the spinning core of storm ap-
preaching from the northeast. With one
glance / saw that which made my scalp
creep. We We're within three miles of
Treetor, and something more than a mile
ahead Of us the track swung outward into
the valley, following the base of long
projecting ridge. Near the beginning OF
this great curve We saw Drant's special
rushing obliqueiy toward the outer point
OF the sloping ridge; beyond the point OF
land, perhaps a half mile. saw for an In
slant the polished jacket Of the oil-wrild' 8
engine glitter against the lightning; then
she was lost to sight on an inner curve.
stevens saw it at the same moment, and
threw himself back and pressed his hand
over his eyes. writf1ing like one who felt
something of the pain Of the hundreds Of
human beings who must surely be crushed
to death In few seconds. AS for myself
l was dumb with horror for a little space
My tongue and lips seems suddenly
parched, and / swallowed painfully, try
Ing to speak. With my eyes following the
special as she thundered toward destruc-
ton, 1 forgot the monster in the heavens
Suddenly 1 was conscious Of pointing to-
ward the northeast and shouting some
thlng. Stevens saw, and jamming the
throttle shut fell forward on his knees
and gazed outward and upward all his
features working oddly.
ihe vast. Whirling cone of cloud was
coming directly across the valley toward
the point of the ridge Houses, barns,
fences trees, all things were being sucked
from the surface Of the earth by its
awful lips. The air about US was green.
and somehow all objects seemed touched
with film of rust.
IT looked that both Drant and the OIL
Wlid must sweep directly into it, or miss
ing II, crash together the moment the an
paHing thing had passed. Could Drant see
II! NO; the body of the ridge rose between
MN ana the reeiing wrack Of force. The
men on the oil-wild must surely see it.
ould they stop, or. trying to run by 1t,
dash the more certainly into Drant?
AS the mad speed Of the "103" slaekened
we gazed forward in fascinated terror at
tne converging forces near the point of the
rlose: The painting fireman threw down
his shovel, and. dashing the sweat, from
his eyes. looked and wondered
our suspense was but a few moments
Nin the roar and power of hundred
rushing trains the cyclone struck the point
OF the ridge The waters of the little river
burst up the hillside: tons of earth lifted
thto th tae ar and turned to dust: trees on
Ihe rldse leaped clear of the ground like
hylng straWs, and, in the midst of dust
ana Whlrilng atoms. we saw Drant' spe-
ciai mount directly up the slope and stop
on 1he hlllside, the engine turning on its
sioe. 1t was the most remarkable vision
ever vouchsafed our eyes,
Ihree minutes later we jumped down
from the '.103'' near the wreck, Arouna
.ne point OF the ridge there was no railroad
uach ana scarcely any embankment The
telegraph wires had been swept away Bv
searching L found the broken end Of wire
nnmDer TWO, and, attaching nv relay
marge. ~-o A1' Cd
half hour after the strange accident
caiied up Traynor and gave Trainmas ster
Wilkins the following:
Inc chicago special is UP on a hillside
aEout two miles west of Treetor Most of
the coaches are on the rails; the track
runs directly uphill. Engine 80 ran off the
ends OF the rails; lies on her side No
one hurt The oil-wild stands on the other
and stopped; cannot back the train with
out assistance. None of the crew Injured
NO track around the hill; a cyclone crossed
between the two trains. lifting the track
the center. The ties and fshplates held
the rails together at each side, and Drant's
tram ran up the slope. We have aagmen
out east and west
things on the wire, and added: Have or
oered wrecking train forward. Connect q
wire through if you can."
How Is Charley?" I asked fearfulIy.
Had him taken home; he's In bad shane
Tell general manager that gave the cross
order-he viii understand"
It was like old Wilk, hard and serious on
the surface, but tender as a mother at
heart. He wanted to protect poor Sanline' 3
good fame.
TWO weeks afterward, when the queer
wreck had been Strengthened out and the
track rebuilt, Wilkins took a vacation and
went with Charley to California The '.old
man. bought fruit ranch near San Jose
and gave Sanline an interest In 1t. They
never came back, save to visit us. Charley 8
outdoor life In California's sunny orchards
brought him health again, and the old
train master found the balm and leisure of
his new life more congenial than running
trains over the hills, Of Illinois," as he
once, IN jocular fashion, wrote me-