The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-06-24

cab and broken the controlling
mechanism, so that it was impossi-
BILE to bring the train to stop by or
diuary means. The great locomotive
lunged forward like runaway horse
that had thrown its rider. In some
way, however, Lutz, the engineer.
had escaped injury lie crept to the
opposite side of the cab and climbed
ont through the little window upon
the toiler to try to reach some of
The controlling apparatus from the
outside: He was working himself
astride along the scorching boiler
when suddenly the engine struck a
curve. which it took at terrific speed
from his perilous position, but he
saved himself by grasping the bell
rope Then he worked himself down
along the uninjured side of the sway
ing locomotive to where he could
open one of the principal steam
valves. A cloud of vapor rushed
forth with a tremendous roar Al
though robbed of its power, the To-
connective did not slacken speed until
it reached the bottom of the grade.
Then little by little the tbreshing of
the great driving-rod, which was
pounding the upper part of the en-
gine to pieces, grew slower, and final
ly it stopped. No one was killed or
injured, and not a passenger in the
long train knew until it was over of
the danger that had been avoided so
rrowly.-Thaddeus S. Dayton, in
Harper's Weekly.
THE BRAVE MAN IN THE BOX.
Of all the calm, brave, indomitable
men 1 have ever met it seems to me
that Johann Beck is the most re-
markable. Because he had made up
his mind to become an American he
deliberately exposed himself to dam
ger of death in hideous form, lay for
sixteen days and nights in utter
darkness in the hold of a ship, nearly
perished for lack of food and water,
and even then would not have been
allowed to enter the land of his
hearts desire but for the interven-
ton of reporter who believed there
was "good story" in Johann's ad-
ventures.
1t lay on the very top of the cargo,
a box almost six feet long, nearly
three feet wide, and four feet high.
What craft for the hopeful adyen-
turer setting forth to conquer a new
world! One could not look at the
wretched contrivance without feel
ing thrill of sympathy for the poor
devil who had risked his life in it, as
we'll as of admiration for his high
courage. Closer examination re-
vealed that the box had a lid and
that the lid was tilted back There
were three little wooden buttons on
each side of the lid that could be
turned down under strips on the
edges of the box. so as to hold the
lid down. Thus it was apparent that
the stowaway had worked alone and
unaided. Instantly appeared the
mental picture of the man calling at
the forwarding Office and making ar
rangements for the shipping of the
box to America; then waiting at the
window of his lodgings for the ex-
press-wagon to appear, and, after
seeing the men enter the house and
hearing their steps on the stair, pop
ping into his box and silently draw
ing down and buttoning the lid from
within. Oh, but this was good stuff
that would make EN- sit up! The
lantern flashed down into the box.
The bottom was upholstered with a
cushion of hay about foot deep and
fastened down with burlap. Wise
man he must have been, to save him.
self hard knocks, and, if he must die,
at least to lie soft and snug while
dying At one end of the box lay an
old round valise, full of socks and
two suits of underclothes, which had
served as a pillow. On enc side was
long, thick, cheap old overcoat of
dull yellow-and-brown check pattern,
thin at the elbows, the much-worn
coat of very poor man, rent seam
here and there sewed up with coarse
black thread. Item: The box ad
venturer was very poor indeed, but
he was clean and neat, even to the
point of sewing his own overcoat
where it had ripped. Pretty good
sort of man for America to acquire.
Tucked away among the hay we're
the empty cans and bottles that had
contained food and water, also few
bits of wrapping-parer that probably
had held bread, but now were bare of
so much as one crumb William In
glis, in Harler's Weekly.
Commercial Skating in England.
Some thirteen years ago there was
an exhibition of commercial skating
at the OLD Westminster Aquarium,