Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-07-21

After leaving Bad River, the road
 twists about for a few miles, first ris-
 ing for a few hunderd feet, then de- scending again to the valley level. After reaching the Gaps the grades be- come sleeper, and, finallys at Cedar Springs, comes the fve-mile ascent up the Pinnacle, as Cedar mountain is called. From here there is 8 straight down grade into Big Bend. ..@
 The train moved along fairly rapid ly for the first hour but on passing the Gap, slowed down considerably for, tn hough No. $40 was an eight-driver and almost new, those nine flats load ed with rails were uncommonly heavy. At Cedar Springs, where fve-minute stop was made to take water, there was some discussion between Foley and the engineer as to whether it would not be better to split the train, leaving half of it on the siding, and make two trips up the mountain. Foley, however, had unlimited conf- dence in No. $40, and it was finally de- cided to try the pinnacle with the whole train.
 Meanwhile, back in the "side-door Pullman" Slow-Foot was conf ortably pounding his ear,'' as he would have expressed it. The bottom of the car was not the softest bed in the world, but he had used the same many times before, and he slumlbered on peace fully.
 He was awakened when the train was about half way up the Pinnacle by an uncomfortable pressure against his body. He tried to turn over to a new position, but his berth had sud- denly become narrower. Still half asleep, he felt about him on both sides, and found that he was wedged in firm ly between the ties and the end of the car.
 'tWas just dreaming was United States senator" he muttered, sleep ily.. Guess must have, got swelled up over it, for I'm sure bigger than when I came in."
 He decided to crawl out and get on top of the load where he would have more room, but when he tried to rise, his head struck sharply against some thing hard. He reached up, and touched a solid roof above him.
 LIT d 1IdSII HS ICdllLCO WudU Haul 4Id D~ pened. In climbing the Pinnacle the car of ties being loosely packed. had shifted it's position, and was sliding slowly down upon him. The upper most ties not having So much weight on them to hold them down, had slid more rapidly, so that he was literally walled in. Not only that, but the walls of his prison were gradually closing in on him.
 A cold sweat of fear started out on Slow-Foot Robinson. and he reached up and tugged at the timber above him, trying frantically to force it back. He might as we'll have tried to break a. log jam with his hands. He shouted at the top of his lungs, but the rattle of the train drowned his voice, so he could scarcely hear it himself.
 With the continual jarring of the car, the huge mass of timber settled slowly backwards. The space inwhich was squeezed narrowed from a seanty 30. inches to IS then 16, and soon the tramp could not get into a position in which the ties did not pinch.
 At this juncture, with death staring him fulG in the face, Slow-Foot did little serious reasoning with himself. Serves me right" he muttered. "It's all my own fault. If I'd a. worked the way oughter have, this wouldn't a happened. Bet if I ever do git out of this, I leaves the road for good.''
 But there did not appear to be any way of his getting out of the diff culty- Moving slowly and irresistibly as the wheels of time, the great ram crept down upon him. The space closed up till there was less than foot of room between the nearest ties sure on his chest became almost un- bearable. He tried once more to call for help, but gave it up and mutter- ing something which may have been an oath, or, perhaps, a prayer, he set tied himself to meet his fate like man. Then, suddenly, above the rattle of the train, he heard a shrill whistle.
 ''I thanks God, an quits loafin' from now cS.' he muttered, solemnly, for he had recognized in that whistle No. 340's signal for "brakes." This meant that the top of the Pinnacle had been reached and the train was about to start down the other side of Cedar mountain into Big Bend. |
 On the down grade the train moved faster, and the increased jarring made the great pile of ties slide back more quickly than it had descended upon him. Half an hour later the passenger of the box car crawled out, a changed man.
 And the next morning the old say ing, There's nothing new under the sum- was refuted, for, when that bril- liant orb rose out of the east. it shone on something it had never seen before.
 That something was SlowFoot Rob- inson, trudging down the railroad track toward the shanty of the nearest section boss to ask for work.
 CHICAGO'S STOCK YARDS.