The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-10-24
ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN.
4 TEEMAY,S STORY OF fl TRAIN
 GETTING AWAY
In the Pass in cOIorado-whsn it
 Comes to Jumping or Eot Jump

ing.
 How it feels to be face to face with death, looking the grim monster in the eye at such close range that rather than hold the gaze one will take as an only chance something that seems 10 put the end of things for this world only a little further away, is not an easy thing to describe. s A good many persons have wondered how it feels to go out into space rom the cab of a locomotive going at rate anywhere from forty to fifty miles up because of conviction that the chances of life are greater by taking such a leap than by remaining on the seat of the cab and taking chances with the machine. To make such leap into a level or grass-grown right of way IS something that would make an ordinary man hesitate somewhat, but great many have made it and made it suc- cessfully. To make such leap out of a runaway engine that is descending a stretch of track such as the Midland has down Ute Pass, however, taking chances on landing against granite boulder or the side of a mountain, against rock ribbed tunnel or over the side of a precipice over which no one could go and live, 1t isseven a little more strenuous, but this is the feat that Engineer Frank Watts and Fireman James Brandebery performed at D o'clock last Monday morning, and both men are still alive to tell the tale.
 The fact that the air brakes would not stop the train dawned upon Engineer Watts soon after crossing the safety switch below Cascade. As is well known to persons familiar with the operations of this road, every train that comes down Ute Pass, regardless of how late it may be. stops at Cascade for in- spection. The running gear of the train is inspected, the brakes are examined and tested, and four different men have to sign a book that says the train is In shape to make the descent of the pass safely before the engineer is allowed to pull the throttle to start his machine on its downward journey. .t..
 As further safeguard against runa- ways the company has safety switch built on the side of the mountain about a half mile below Cascade. and before any train can have the main line to make the descent the engineer must whistle for the track. when Uncle Jimmy" Taggart, one of the best known characters of the mountain around this vicinity turns the switch and opens teh main line. If the engineer fails to whistle for, this switch his train runs up the side of the mountain and "see- saws back and forth on the switch and the main track until it comes to a stop in the bottom of the "sag."
 Freight No. 42 last Monday evening passed inspection at Cascade and secured the main track at the safety switch. It was not long thereafter, however that Engineer Watts, in re- charging his air brakes, made the hair raising discovery that his train was beyond his control. His brakes were not of sufficient power to withstand the powerful weight of his sixteen bars of gold ore and lead and silver bullion, and there was no reasonable expectation that the train would remain on the tracks through the first tunnel of the eight that lay between him and level track. If it should by any miracle pass the first tunnel, the next curve--and there were curves everywhere down that stretch of track--woutfd probably precipftate the train over the side of the embankment to destruction.
 Fireman Brandebery, as he tells the story now, says: '1The train was in- spected at Cascade by the regular in- spectors and everything appeared to be in perfect trim. The last safety switch was passed with the train under per- feet control, stealing slowly and safely down the mountain side. It ran as usu- al until we had covered about three- fourths of mile, when the engineer thought he'd better recharge his air brakes. There is certain amount of loss of air in running the train, and 1t is necessary from time to time to re- charge the brakes.
 .sIf this is not done, the brakes will lose their grip on the wheels. This re- charging process requires nearly three minutes and, with the terrible weight of the train we were bringing down this time. rave us a terrible impetus When the brakes had been recharged the en- eineer applied them, but there seemed to be little effect. He applied them again and again, but it was of no perceptible effect whatever You may imagine that we were feeling mighty uncomfort- able just then, and we had to decide pretty quick what we were going to do. We simply sized up the situation as best we might and decided that we had q chance only by jumping from the cab, and a small chance at that, and that the rest of the boys on the train had only the same chance that we had When we made up our minds to make the leap, we had stayed with her for three quarters of mile and knew that she was wild and that every second lessened our chances. Watts made the leap ahead of me. When he jumped we were on straight stretch of track and he was fortunate enough to strike the ground on gravel slide. He went at least twenty-five feet flat on his stomach, and thought still less of my own chances when he had made the leap. think it was about twenty sec- onds later that followed him. hit 8 bank of disintegrated granite on the up- per side of the track. rolled over and over for about thirty feet, and how my head kept in connection with my body is something I will never know. realized that I was rolling farther down tha a,,l,a nkroent all the time and that