Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-02-29

reached the end of the rails, pitchina
twenty-five or thirty feet down into
the ravine.
Something prompted me to turn my
! eyes toward the other side of the tra ok
and there | saw a group of men, ten
or dozen of them. al armed, crouch
/ ing at the foot of the embankment A
/ the sight all my calmness took flight
| forgot all about the danger we were
in. Drawing my revolver l emptied II
into the midst of the group and had
the satisfaction of seeing two of them
tumble over. Then | threw the lever
forward and pulled the throttle wide
open. for now | was anxious to have
the thing over with. and the end what
ever it might be, reached at once.
The train jumped ahead. and we
We're almost on the switch when | saw
bolt OF lightning coming directly to-
ward us. ! say / saw 1t. | did see it.
aud that is all | know The concus-
sion that followed made the old engine
rattle in every joint and almost jolted
me from the cab.
When. n moment later, the realiza-
tion of our position returned to me,
saw that the engine had passed over
the switch. \ minute later and the
entire train was across, and then !
knew that 10y some means which
could not understand we had escaped
the trap that had been laid for us. 4
moment before we had reached ii | had
seen the open switch as distinctly as
ever saw anything In my life, and yet
we passed over 1t in safety.
1t was like miracle. We pulled in
to Chattanooga about midnight. The
assistant superintendent happened to
be there, and early the next morning
he sent for me.
you seem to be the only man likely |
TO give me Il clear account of your last |
nights experience" he said. And when |
| had given it he added sharply, You |
are certain you saw the open switch?"
Yes. sir" | replied; perfectly sure |
of it,
Then he turned to me suddenly and |
said:
What was it that closed the switch |
and let you overr
That's more than l can say" | re-
piled, but something closed it or we !
would have gone out over the siding /
and then down into the gully"
mo doubt of that" he said; none
whatever. And you mentioned some
thing about an unusually sharp flash of |
lightning which came at about this
time" He paused significantly, then
ad s'NInIl 10 Lnnn fhiS |
matter entirely to yourself. Take the
first train going out, make a thorough
examinat ton of the switch and find out,
If you can. what closed it so suddenly.
The next train coming this way will
pick you up, and as soon as you arrive
here report to me-"
The assistant superintendents sug
gestion about the lightning kept my
brain busy during the trip. Could that
fash have been the agency whereby
we were turned from certain doom into
the path of safety? l got the answer
as soon as arrived at the scene of our |
adventure and examined the switch. |
Not only had the switch been closed by |
being thrown violently into place, but |
the parts where they came together |
had been fused and welded by heavens |
fires into mass so solid as to prevent |
the switch from ever being opened |
again.
Some may say it was nothing more
than chance. others will call it good |
luck but | never think of 1t without !
realizing that the bolt which struck |
the switch and forced it back into place !
came straight from him who "holds the |
lightning in his hands,