The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-07-23

mediately he scrambled to the top
of the train and made another mis-.
take. Instead of giving them a slow
signal he gave them a stop signal.
They shut off, but the rear end of
the train had been pushed back be-
yond the level track that lay in front
of the little way station. Five loads
snapped off and went roaring down
the mountain behind the superin-
| tendents train. The one brakeman
was almost Immediately thrown from
the train as it lodged round a sharp
curve, and now the cars were run
| ming wild.
The engineer on the special saw the
| runaway cars coming, and instantly
| let off the air and began to fall out
of the way. Nine hundred and ninety
nine men out of every thousand
| would have done the same thing. 1t
| Is of a piece with the rule that says
when you train has parted keep going
(keep out of the way) until you are
sure that the detached portion of the
train has stopped. The other man
| would have stopped at once, unloaded
his passengers, scrambled out Of the
| right of way, and let them hit. But
that is not according to the book of
rules nor in keeping with the instinct
| of an engineer. His first thought is
| of his people, his train, his engine
| to remain in the cab and die, if need
be, and he usually does it.
The man on the special, being full
! of the book rules, kept going, but a
car loaded will outrun locomotive
| with her links and rods and all her
| machinery to hold her back. Any.
| way, a car will run faster than any
sane man would dare run down two.
moments the special crew saw that
| if they all held the rails the loads
would soon be on the top of them.
| The old man, who had never known
| fear before, put an arm affectionately
about the slender waist of each OF
his helpless children. The speed OF
the special was something frightful.
but the cars were gaining on them.
Farley, standing on the rear plat.
form, turned and looked into the car
He saw the strong, rough man, who
had always appeared as dry Of tears
as one of the rocks that, made these
mountains, bending over his weeping
children, weeping like a woman.
For two or three seconds Seconds
are like hours in the face of DEATH
he had been contemplating a move
that would result in his immediate
| death or the salvation of the special
Now the sight of this strong man in
tears settled the matter; he would
make the effort.
A few miles below the point where
the freight train parted there was
a short siding in a sag. When the
special car passed the switch target
Farley stepped off just as he would
drop from train at twenty miles an
hour, but the special was making
| forty or more.
The old man saw him jump. "Ah
WE'LL" thought he, 'the poor devil is
only trying to save his life. I don't
| Lame him"
When Farley stopped rolling he
| scrambled to his feet near the east
end of the siding. In his torn and
bleeding right hand he held the
switch key, that he had taken from
| his pocket before making the fright
full jump. Staggering to his feet, he
/ found the lock, thrust the key in
and swung back on the target; but
hot tho n,Io II n,
ends of the rails, the car leaped into
the air and glanced off into the side
of the shallow cut, while the other
cars came piling up in heap.
Presently, when the driver, looking
back, saw nothing following, he began
to slow down and stopped.
The superintendent sent the fireman
back, and tagged slowly to the scene
of the wreck. When he had come
| upon the heap of splintered cars he
! jumped from the train and ran back
| to look for Farley, who had jumped
off near the other end of the siding
AS he passed the wreck he glanced
back and saw that the switch, now
broken down, had been unlocked
Looking closely, he found the big
brass lock with Farley's switch key
sticking in the keyhole. Now he saw
what had been done, but where was
Farley? They searched, and soon
| found him under the debris.
When the broken freight had been
removed the old man bent over the
dead conductor and wept as no man
on the mountain had believed him
capable of weeping; for this man had
saved his life, and had died doing it.
Not long ago passed over the road,
and the conductor pointed out the
place. There" said he-"there's
where poor Jack Farley made his fly.
ing switch"