The Washington times., 1903-10-18

inc Otdtute Book. - - :.
our little group almost before we real
ized the explosion OF 500 pounds OF dy-
Mantle had occurred before our ewes.
We prayed for a successful plate from
tne exposure. and now stand ready to
dispute the invariability OF the PROPOSE
zion that the prayers Of the unrighteous
availeth naught.
Later we returned 20 the scene OF the
explosion. and we're amazed at the havoc
wrought The ground was torn ND for
forty yards around. and tons of stones
OF various sizes had been spread ont
over the area OF an acre. Where we had
planted our camera originally was be-
sprinkled with rocks. and there would
have been no visible record OF that ex-
plosion had we remained there.
And now for the wreck which had
been veritable ignus fatuus the dav
before Just below where they made
the big blast was a deep valley, which.
under the scheme. II was necessary to
fill. As is the custom in railroad grad
Ing. trestle work OF rough pine is
raised on which are laid rails for the
work trains These latter are filled by
steam shovels digging into the earth
and filling car with one scoop and
run down the trestleway to tho desired
point and there dumped until the I'LL is
completed.
A Work Train Wrecked.
But the Saturday before something
had gone wrong. No. work train had
got away on the down grade. its brakes
refused to work, and instead Of stopping
at that point where the dumped earth
served to steady the trestle il ran out
over the unsupported work, dragging IL
down in its wake. and travelled out into
space hundred yards or more. undoing
the work OF week and turning into
scrap valuable engine and train OF
dirt cars
Strange to say. although the crew
stuck to their posts until the last and
then jumped to avoid the wreckage. no
one was badly hurt, albeit the sides Of
the trestle where they made their lean
were bestrewn with piles of rocks.
All was apparently confusion; gangs OF
men were everywhere, each gang appar-
emily compromising the disorder created
by the accident. But cool-headed men
in topboots. oVeralls. and Jumpers who
looked like municipal laborers but re-
ceive larger salaries than Congressmen.
moved in and out. calling to a foreman
here and a laborer. there: huge jacks
were placed here. large cIaw-crows
there, and in the haIf-hour incident 10
our wait for the team TO be placed upon
the highway order had replaced dfsor-
der, the apparently inextrfcabIe had
been extricated. and chaos had taken
form.
Then I knew why ]. NJ. oliver was a
man OF importance in the railroad world.
He knows how to select men and trusts
them for results.
Driver Was an Expert.
Meantime "Aleck" had received or
ders. as intimated above. to take our
team and put it on the highway. have
confidence in the Artist, but he could
never have driven me where. Aleck drove
Rosa DartIe and Jen-Jack, and until I
am called unto my fathers 1 shall be-
leve that Alexis proper place is IN the
circus or in the United States artillery
how to drive ST full speed
among distractions and avoid them. He
can turn buggy on a S2-to-1 dollar and
drive double team four feet wide over
a road forty-seven inches wide and de-
scribe the landscape through which he
passes.
Thanks to Aleck. we got on the high
road and reached Rapidan- Thence we
went 20 Mitchells by the road internal,
to the foot OF Cedar Mountain by an
other road mentionable as such solely
by comparison with the one from Rapi-
dan TO Mitchells. only TO find out that
had we not met the merry mountain
maids we would have reached Rapidan
by drive of three miles over COM
good road. instead of the six
and a half miles OF torture by way OF
Mitchells.
We reached Culpeper on the return
trip at high noon on court day." but
that's a story in itself.
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