The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-12
THE MINNEAPOLIS. JOURNAL.

* 4
Not at all, save that 1t was an unfor-
tunate one and created, as you say, a
father
I Yes. it was an unfortunate one; the
whole thing was unfortunate. So much
so that his friends felt a decided relief
when young Mrs. Gillespie died. But her
husband regarded this loss as an irrepar-
able one; he was wrapped UP in her when
she was alive, and, as you now call to
mind, has never been the same man since
her death. Perhaps 1t was because he
had no outlet for his grief. His father
would not hear her name mentioned, and
little Claire was too young to even re-
member her mother. Fortunately, per-
haps."
The last words were said in his throat,
and opened up wide abyss of possibili-
ties into which had not the curiosity to
penetrate. / only felt impelled to ask: /
''Was her death attended, with any UNI
usual circumstance that you speak of his
sorrow as a shOck?'
For reply he went to his desk, and af-
ter some fumbling brought out several
slips Of paper. from among which he
chose one which he passed over to me.
II have kept this account Of very
tragic occurrence, for reasons you will
appreciate on reading it,"
I took the slip and perused it. With
no apology for Its length, introduce it
here, AS you will see. it is an engineers
account Of the extraordinary accident
| which tok place on the B., f. & D. road
some half-dozen years ago. 1t begins
abruptly. the extract having been closely
clipped from the columns of the paper
containing it.
Big Hill is only twelve miles long and has
grade averaging 140 feet to the mile. and
the principal part Of the grade Ia in spots. Six
loaded cars made train up this hill, and
the train of six cars was hauled and pushed
up the grade by two engines. My engine
was stationed permanently on the hill, and
| its duty was to couple to the back end OF
one Of these trains and help It up the grade
At the top Of the hill was side track
called Acton, but no telegraph operator was
| stationed there. At the foot of the grade
was Buckley, telegraph Office in the CEN
! ter of big side track system used for
| breaking up trains before sending them up
the grade in sections. Eight miles below
! Buckley was an abandoned mining town
| named Campton Here was set Of side
! tracks and switches and dozen unoccupied
miners shanties, while the disused telegraph
Office was occupied by one-legged pensioner
| Of the company-a fagman-and his 19-year-
! old daughter. Twelve miles further down
| the line was Mountain Springs, now one OF
| the foremost summer resorts in the noun
| quented by eastern healthseekers. explain
this SO that you will readily understand what
happened.
We had run No. II up the hill and were or
| dered on to the side track at Acton to get
out Of the way of No. II. the through train
| from the south that was coming north as
| a double-header, and with third big en-
| CINE pushing her. No. II was regular. but
| was making this trip as an excursion train,
and was made up Of eight coaches, crowded
| with people from Mountain Springs.
| AS the freight we were showing came
| to a standstill, my fireman leaped to
1 the ground and uncoupIed the engine
I from the last car, and I backed down
| over the switch and then ran ahead on
! done, a brakeman had cut the train In front
of the last two cars, and the regular engine in
| front had started ahead with the other cars
| towards the north switch to back the four cars
| In on the spur.
| AS shut off steam and centered the re-
verse lever saw that the two cars were
| moving slowly down the hill, and I watched
them only long enough to see the rear brake
| man Chamber up the side ladder and seize the
| brake wheel. Then tried the water in the
| boiler, started the injector, and again
| glanced at the cars Evidently the brake on
lthe first car was out of order, as the cars
| were moving moro rapidly, and the brakeman
was Fastening towards the brake on the sec
ond car. He grasped it and swung around,
| and nearly fell to the ground. The brake
chain was broken, and there was nothing to-
held the cars.
| In an instant the picture of an awful horror
! flashed before my eyes. No. IL, crowded
with passengers, was coming. and those cars,
running at etTrifo speed, would crash into
the train, carrying death and destruction to
scores not hundreds. The scene at the mo-
ment the realization Of the impending disas-
ter came over me is before me now as plainly
| as on that day, nearly five years ago-the
! moving cars, the brakeman stumbling towards
| the side-ladder to descend the fireman, who
| was more than "a little deaf, walking away
! without seeing hearing what had occurred,
and, in his place. man Il had almost said
a gentleman) standing by the switch-staff and
| gazing towards the cars with eyes that re-
| fected the horror in my own; while thirty
miles below, ON the line of the twisted, wind
ing track a faint blur OF smoke that told mo
/ No. Ii had left Mountain Springs.
Before the moving cars crossed the switch
we all knew what must be done. The man,
who for all his good clothes, must have been
some fireman off duty, had thrown the switch,
and then, seeing that my own man was too
far off to meet this emergency, had swung
himself on to the footboard back of the tank:
and old 105 was in pursuit Of the runaways.
1
I and the stranger was bracing himself to couple
/ the engine to the swift-moving cars when We
should approach them.
No steam is ever used 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 brake. But. as the
stranger who had boarded the engine took his
stand on the foot board, opened the throttle
wide to give her start, then put on the air
until I had her, under control, and then
away we went. The runaway cars were fully
one hundred yards ahead as we crossed the
switch, and were moving apparently at the
rate Of eight or ten miles an hour with rap
idly increasing momentum. In sixty seconds
old 105 was running fifty miles an hour, an6
On thirty seconds more We were close to the
cars. l heard the voice Of the man in front
shouting something, and knowing that it was
Z to slow down In order to approach the cars
without a crash, applied the air. "A sligh
= | &o15 hat ho or11 nod