The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-10-01

| FROM Utica to Winona the track I
| just the sort you would expect to Sc,
In Z nightmare. 1t typifies what you
read about Arkansas railways consist
Ing mainly Of horseshoe curves, ST.
steep grades, and trestles over gul
lies.
Stanley Wright was the foreman oi
our crew Of five. We were all youns
lin fact. Wright himself was not old
enough to vote Other gangs called us
the kid crew" but feel safe in say
ing that many OF the older crews ac
complIshed no more than we did.
One morning In the early part OF
July, 1907, we found it necessary tc
take q case of dynamite from Rolling
stone on our Armstrong private car
We were in the habit of usually stop
ping Just before rounding very sharI
curves to listen for any possible trains
AS rule extras" we're fen and fai
between on the Pumpkin-Vine "Spe
cials" always created surprise anc
comment among the natives.
The regular" east-bound had al
ready gone through, and we wer,
pumping our car around curves ans
over high bridges. talking merrily W.
had Just arrived at the conclusion tha
even If we did spend a good deal o
muscle on the derrick and crane (no
to mention the hand-car), perhaps
after all, our life on the road, free
from care and worry, toiling lazily IL
one Of earth's pretty garden spots
letting the early morning sunshin,
trickle down on us, perhaps" W,
thought. such life, In spite of soms
slight disadvantages, was pretty near
ly ideal"
Far were our thoughts from danger
Guess, then, our surprise when, com
ing around the last curve in deep cut
we we're suddenly confronted by 6 !
huge locomotive drawing two cars O.
horses and coming like a whirlwind.
She looked as big as barn to u.s.
sheer wall Of rock on each side, a 80
foot trestle few yards back OF US
apparently no chance of getting out
And case Of dynamite aboardl
We held our breath as Stanley ap |
piled the brake. Our first thought wa,
to jump. Then common sense told III
that to do so woulo DC fatal-not only
to ourselves, but to the train and crew
as we'll
There wasn't near time enough Il
reverse the motion of the car and rut
back until the engineer could stop the
train, and we did not fancy
being hurled off the high trestle with
the probability of the whole trair
down on top of us.
We glanced at each other in dismay
The cold sweat tricl-led down my
back We heard the locomotive whis
lie frantically, then saw the engineer
dodge down low in his cab
My heart beat furiously With on,
accord we were about to abandon th,
car and run toward the train wher
Stanley, white as a sheet, but calm ane
with great presence of mind, almosl
screamed the order: Pick up the
,ar-r, boys!"
1t seemed useless. but we had greal
aith in our young boss. Boing in the
labit Of obeying orders we did pick W
he car. and at signal from hin
placed 1t on edge against the rocl
'ank, Stanley meantime grabbing the
Explosive.
We were just about in time, too, fol
3 the locomotive whizzed by, some
hing caught my overalls, ripping n
hem from tho waist to the knee. II II
vas very close call II
Stanley gazed after the disappearing II
rain and watched II out Of sight. Then II
o fished out ais dinky little pipe II
saned up against the rocks, and filed II
nd III II. III
Il guess, by jinks," said he, I'VE III
ught to take run down to st
harles and recuperate our exhausted II
erves." Stanley was great on speeches
Hang 1t, you fellows look scared to III
cath. Besides, want to write let
II to Mamie" III
SO we took a holiday and rambled
own to st. Charles. When our checks iii
lme on pay day can't say as no iii
red any siav.nff'' raoordad aifhar Hi