The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-07

III
AS we went on the rails became
white and the rocks were hidden III
snow. Our car was half full or nan,
and the wheels were flying over snip
perry tracks. Then the wine increased
to a blizzard, and F~loeckheT, Who was
sitting beside me. taking his notes on
wet paper, Notwithstanding ~he storm,
all at once cried out that his hat had
blown off. Very foelishly we stopped
the toboggan, and started our ChoiO
conductor back up the track. At this
time we had only ten minutes leeWay |
Of a train hat was coming behin0. |
We waited five minute and the chOlO
did not appear. Then Floeckher
went back and found the hat on the
edge Of a cliff 400 feet high INC abou,
:; 200 yards from the t~oboggan. The
cholo had disappeared. We waited
for him two minutes longer, and then,
hearing the whistle of the down-com-
ing train, we knew we should have
TO M the to%boggan ourselves. Mr..
Russell took hold Of one brake ana
Floeckher grabbed tight on the other,
and we began to coast down through
the storm. The cold was piercing.
The winds went through our bones
and the great hailstones cut our faces
At times when the clouds were the
blackest we could see only a few fee,
at the front, but could look down the
sides and see the now-clad walls fa1
Dc1O~ IL. NOW VIC ~OulO 81 1yIIS
into a tunnel, and here were the safest
of places, for the rails were dry ana
the brakes made the wheels grip tine
track. Indeed, We almost prayed for
, the tunnels and We're glad when we
dashed yer a bridge through the
binding sleet INTO the darkness.
We had made eight OF nine miles
2 when we met two trains standing at
! one Of the switchbacks on a siding.
They were waiting for us, and the
engineers said another train mus pass
: coming up before we started down.
: at that time we were chilled to our
! bones. Mr.. Russelrs face was blue
t with the sleet and thee old, and Flo
t eckher's hands were frozen holding
the brake. We climbed put Of our
car and into the cab Of one OF the
oilburning engines. The heat Of the
boiler soon thawe our blood, and
e within a short time u clothes,
9 which had been wet by the snow, had
: dried off.
We were still in the storm when
we left the switchback. he rails were
). covered with sleet and We could no.
S be sure Of the tracks. At n plce
9 we passed a a Of trainmen who
e were working on the road and a,
n another time narrowly escaped a
e drove Of llamas that was crossing the
track in the storm, AS they saw our
lODOSSdI luS dHlIIldlS OcSdH 10 run
e and they went along on kangaroo
e jumps with their Indian drivers trot-
e ting behind.
= t every hamlet along the way we
had to look out for the dogs. The
s. scurvy ours ran out and barked at
g the car and snapped at US as we few
a by. The great danger was that a dog
W might get in front of the car and
Is by being run over throw u down the
y sides of the mountain.
n We were going too fast to watch
l. out for slides. When it rains in the
he Andes this track has to be watched
" daily for the masses of earth and
t. rock that fall down upon it, and fol-
this reason a handcar is always sent
five minutes in front of the engine
to flag 1t for slides.
In By and by we passed Casapalca, and
ne there lost the storm. The sun came
10 out, and the sky s~traightway was blue
ne with white clouds. We could nov
to see for miles. The track dried. and
ne we coasted along at great speed
" through some Of the most wonderful
'n for miles between walls of rocks tina
extended upwards for thousands OF
a. feet, and now hang over gorge be.
op low which a thousand feet down The
OF rushing Rimac flowed foaming. Now
ay We would enter a tunnel high I'D or
, " IA ol4a n dOWI
RS see another tunnel almost directly be.
rs low US. We rushed u of one TUNE
into the 1nTernillo, a slender bridge q
'te iron which joins two great walls O
n rocks. On the other side of tn
d. bridge we would see the black hol,
Ut pierced by the track. Above u.
O through the. narrow slit of the rock.
ny was the blue Sky of heaven, and be
OF low was the gorge which these peopl,
re call the Little He'll. The bridge ther.
rs, spans a chasm which is 1000 fee
in deep, and we trembled at the though
al that there might be a train in the tun
er- mel beyond.
at The whole CT his wonderful roa,
an seems blasted out of the sides of tn,
TO mountains. Here it hangs to IL
un cliffs, there il boreS through the rocL-
Is and again ii ziezags in great vs. as
ms climbs. Some OF the tunnels are s
close together that they made IN.
le- think of theToad between Monte Car