The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-11-05
A RAILROAD SAINT IN
IDAHO
by Rev. J. d. Gillian

Captain Bonneville first made
memorable record of that beautiful
cataract in the Snake River called
American Falls. This was in 1894.
The entire decent here is ninety
feet, but broken so much that there
is no one sheer fall quite so high.
A mighty chasm of basaltic rock
carries this cascade which in proper
angle is covered with dancing rain
bows. More than hundred feet
above this seething cauldron where
many persons have lost their lives is
hung steel bridge for the Oregon
Short Line Railway The unsuspect-
inc STRANGER glides from the lava
plain on the west right out into space,
it seems, as his train in an instant
shoots out over that abyss from the
top of perpendicular wall, and he
hears the sullen roar of the frothing,
turgid, tossing and writhing snow
white serpents far beneath and on
either side of his car.
For a train to wreck here would
be disaster incalculable. Once, some
years ago, sanity locomotive en-
gineer was pulling his passenger
train west from Pocatello toward
this place. He had left Pocatello on
time and had only twenty-six miles to
go to reach American Falls, thriv-
ing town named from the cataract;
yet when he arrived he was four
minutes late. and at that moment
should have been on that high bridge
While the station men were attend
ing to the mail and the baggage our
engineer heard the shrill, soul-pierc-
| ing scream of a runaway engine
coming from the direction of the
bridge less than half q mile distaut.
His long experience had prepared his
mind and hand for instantaneous
emergency; he Immediately reversed
his engine and started backing; he
was not an instant too soon, for the
wild train was around the curve in
less time than it takes to read this.
! 1t was heavy freight whose air
brakes had failed to work, and the
track coming into the station is down
a sharp grade.
Our engineman had load of hui
man freight. His only thought was
Human lifel Human life!" So rap
idly was he moving backward that
when the oncoming freight engine
struck his, the impact was only such
as to smash up the pilot of both To-
comotives. Not a soul was killed on
his train and but few injured. The
freight was derailed and the station
knocked into kindlingwood.
When it was known that none
were dead among the travellers, a
man started through the crowd, cry
ling, People, this brave engineer has
lsayed your lives; let us show our ap-
lpreciation by giving him a handsome
Reward" This contemplated act was
mot long reaching his ears, and he
Iquickly and positively stopped all
lsuch demonstration in these words:
"Stop all this foolishness. / did not
save your lives. 1t was God Almigh.
lty who did it. Get down on your
knees and thank Him; it was He who
made this train get here four min.
lutes late" He made it his custom
to say whenever he climbed into his
lcab, Lord, this is your train, youl
business, and amsyour 'laddie work
ling for yoti. These are your people
help me to take care of them"
i No life was ever lost on any trair
!, while he pulled It. y
To the writer, who was a long
time friend, he said: Il cannot un
Iderstand how / was late one minute
even on that occasion, for | though
was going at the usual rate o
speed; but it must be that the gooC
God had his hand on the throttle.
Recently that old eagle-eye went t.
glory for his promotion.