Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-11

seventy-si,-ton Mogul pusher!' Our business 10
help freightrains from Altoona to the top, and run
back empty the ast-bound track
That mor1-.g went up with load of heavy cars,
of at Crestline, and started to drop back We had
turned the Shoe and were well out on the hill when
heard something snap. looked down at my drivers and
then across at Jim. Without looking he had known
what the trouble and jumped. To this day can
forty feet below.
The trouble was this The brake was badly worn, so
its tire The undue friction heated until it cracked.
e pk e'f e e s 55sb a tore o a" t9 the
ties andsit was ieTked away. The iron horse, freed
from this restraining hold sprang forward like stallion
from broken tether, and started wildly down the
mountain. Before realized that / could do nothing,
and that useless for stay, II too late
to jump There was, helpless and alone in runaway
engine
drivers racing to catch the piowhees and neither
could fast enough TO satisfy the pston-rods They
and ratified The smokestack toppled like the head OF
dizzy man, while the boiler staggered like his body
about fall. The steavave of the whistle Jared
open now and then, and IT gave little cries of hendish
glee while minute kept going faster and faster
my wits together sufficiently think just what the
real danger As reasoned the matter out appeared
on the track or some switchan m order to save other
trains, would open siding and ditch u.s. or else we
would until the grade became so steep and the
speed so great that would fly the track
We passed bloclc-station. The operator hung far
out of the window to watch us. Then saw him turn
to his instrument He was sending the word ahead and
the track would be cleared The first OF the three
"f reflected too that the second became less real
inasnuch he had seen me; for guessed, from the
ing, that would have been expected TO jump. Now
reasoned that the switchmen would be less likely to
throw the engine when warned that IT carried human
freight. So counted out that possibility.
Still we ran. We passed two more block-stahons,
scarcely caught glimpse OF them The trees few away
behind if trying to escape from something, while
telegraph poles stood close together that they looked
like upright bars across the window of the cab
SO far we had no sharp curves, and although the
miles ahead; but only portions Tor sometimes It ma
itself You see how all the way down here the road IS
the track where it would go. Well, was looking away
speed up the mountain It disappeared after little then
in sight hafnilc We had passed several
bound track but what was my horror when on swinging
into line with this that IL the outside fydcki
estimate tie distance It could not be two miles off
concluded that they had decided 20 wreck my ENGINE
one. without an engineer, had been sent against mne
and that the two would and be thrown over the
cliff a point that was still out of sight
make wild leap for my life, but when looked down
the gorge my courage failed me- simply sat STILL
dszed,-waitiug for the awful crash .
How long would IT be? l waited what though!
again, Then caught my breath, and, when the strain
became too great sprang to my feet and hooked ahead
There gdS am engine IN sight but u tas running i'0"
" There was an engineer also, but he had come TO
save me, not 10 wreck lie had run as near - W
dared then stopped thrown his reverse lever turned on
fall steam, and now running backward, at almost
my rate ahead OF 1t was desperate work out
he gradually allowed my engine to catch up with his
received the shock as easily he could then put on his
brakes and broughtboth under CONTROL
That was before the days OF ar-brakes -" Runaways
do now; but VIXEN they did, that Is how they
were caught-gien tbey sUsre caught When they were
not they either wrecked themselves or something else
or bo and for mary years they the most serious
nerace 20 rail-roaders on the steep grades OF the
A!leghanes.