The Dolores star., 1909-05-21

Betner anu reared upward, tnen slowly
settled down again. the drivers of
Shrader's engine on the rails. the
drivers OF No. is engine OF the rails.
Passenger No. l stood still. with her
engine drivers tearing up the ties and
dirt like a mad bull paving. while
Shrader's engine, the drivers being re-
versed, instantly set OF westward
With full steam on, she swept back.
ward past her unconscious engineer
and injured fireman. Bob Sewers.
conductor OF the freight. essayed to
board her as she passed. but missed
the hand-rail. Onward she tore, up
through the yards at Gooman.
thumped sharply across the switch
frogs, on by the station. and out
through the west end switches, and
away toward Shore Gap. leaving con.
sternation behind her, and promising
to crash into east-bound express No. 2
near Tortoise mountain switch No. 2
had just left Shore Gap, and could not
be reached by the dispatcher; no NOR
tai hand could reach the throttle OF
Shrader's runaway engine. That was
the situation on the main line Up
on the Tortoise mountain branch.
logger No. was pushing its engine
downward over the greasy rails at an
alarming pace. Long bodied, squatty.
with ten low drivers under her present.
ing unusual breadth OF tire surface to
the rails. the engine was holding back
with all her power. But 10 cars OF
green logs on such slippery steel as
lay under her that morning could not
be held. Faster and faster the long,
snake-Ake train pushed downward.
whipping nd rocking around the fail
ing curves in Kissing. drumming tur.
moil of noise.
Johnson had the air on the engine.
the sand-pipes spouting on the frost.
and the drivers on the back turn, but
the mighty machine went downward
over the crystal grease like mon
ster toboggan.
Back In the 'dinky' caboose at the
tail Of the string of loads there was
panic. Sid Turner, conductor. and
his two brakesnen were shouting un.
recordable and half-heard things al
each other.
Go out ahead and set the hand.
brakes!" commanded Turner.
Looking down the line of swaying,
jostling. plunging loads, the brakemen
fiatly refused TO peril their lives.
Banty Burns got up from a seat. In
his brown eyes burned kind of fire.
I'm going over ahead t. help John.
son." he said. I'll twist up the brakes
as I go. II you feIlers are scared. you
can pull the pin. and cut the caboose
loose. But If was you. Sid. I'd stay
by my train"
That was all. He jumped across
onto the first car. and began to clam
ber over the heaped-up logs, screwing
up the brakes as he went; but tho
wheels slipped on the icy rails like
sled.runners. The loads swung an6
dipped as they flew, the rocky slidei
OF the cuts shot backward In glimmer
Ing sheets. the pine trees whirled
rearward. the hills lying far below
seemed twisting like live things In the
lap OF the unstable landscape. Bant.
soon had to crawl along the logs OF
his hands and knees, clutching fas.
like shaken insect Hearing e
snarling rip Of sound. he glanced back
and saw the caboOse snap like whip
cracker against stony bank, ant
burst open. In an instant 1t was los
to view. And onward and downward
the train roared, scorning the brake
When Banty, hatless and with bleed
Ing fingers, at last tumbled over the
tail-board into the shaking coal of tho
tender, he found the cab empty John
son and the fireman had jumped. Tht
| plucky youth got to his feet and stag
gered to the engineers seat and triet
the levers. Everything had been don
| that man could do. He leaned out tn,
window. Should he. too. abandon
the runaway? The rocking of Tho
engine was terrifying.
IF she stays on the rails, and ha
two or three miles of clear sailing OF
the main line, I'll get her under con
troll" thought Banty
| His teeth were set hard, and hi
face was drawn and strange. The log
ger seemed now within two or thre
miles Of the switch, flying at dizzyin
| speed along the groove that dropped
downward around the northern from
Of Tortoise mountain. AS the engin,
rushed into more open ground, Bant,
swung over to the fireman's window
and looked out. Away below him wa
vered the main track, stretching cas-.
and west, and there was express
train No. 2 coming eastward! Could
he get out on the main line ahead o.
her? AS he gazed. a picture OF the
ground near the switch flashed Tito
view. the sharp curve of the branch
track. as 1t met the main track, and
the extension Of the branch track In a
safety spur for nearly quarter of a
mile parallel with the main line
Should he go on the safety spur. OF
take the hazard Of getting on the main
line ahead of the express?
Just then he saw Shrader's engine