The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-09-29

spoke TO me. and her voice had bor-
rowed some OF the big terror that !
had seen IN her eyer while she was
sitting 10 the Office az Portal city.
awhere-whereabout are we, jim
mieT" she asked
Before I could open my mouth the
black shadows Of the crooked valley
beyond the switch were shot through
with the white. shinmerfng glow Of
a headlight beam, and second later
the special nlcked into view on the
curve Of approach.
As We looked. there was short,
sharp whistle yelp, the brakes gripped
the wheels. the one-car train, with IRE
grinding from every brake-shoe. came
90 a jerking stop q short car-length on
our side OF the switch. and a man
dropped from the engine step TO go
sprinting 20 the rear. And II was
plain that neither the engineer nor
the man who Was running back saw
our outfit waiting on the leg OF the old
"Y."
Kirgan was the first one TO under
stand. With a shout OF warning, he
Jumped and ran toward the stopped
train. yelling at the engineer for Gods
sake TO pull out and go on. Back In
the hills beyond the curve OF approach
another hOarse murmur was Jarring
upon the air, and the specials nre-
ka had
Jump OF and go running back, and
who, OF course, didn't know that we
had our man there. was apparently
trying to reach the switch behind his
train TO throw II against the following
engine 10 shoot II on on the "Y."
BY this time the boss was on Of our
engine and racing across the angle OF
the "Y" only little way behind kir-
gan. He realized that his plan was
smashed by the stopping of the spe-
cial. and that the very catastrophe we
had come out to try TO prevent was
due TO happen right there and then.
Whatever our man waiting at the
switch might do, there was bound to
be collision. II he left the points
ST for the main line, the wild engine
would crash into the rear end OF the
stopped special and II he did the 9TH
er thing, our engine and coach stand
ing on the "Y" would get II.
"Get the peonle out of that carl"
heard the boss below, but even as he
said It the pop-valve of the stopped
engine went of with a roar, filling the
shut-in valley with clamorings that
nothing could drown.
Two minutes. two little Uinutes
more. and the sleep-sodden bunch OF
men I'm the specials car might have
been reused and turned out and saved.
i But the minutes were not given us
While the racing fireman was still a
few feet short OF the switch the throw
ing OF which would have saved the
one-car train only 10 let the madman's
engine In on our engine and coach, ana
our man-already at the switch-was
too scared to know which horn Of the
dilemma TO choose, the end came.
There was the fash Of another head
light on the curve, another whistle
shrek. and | turned TO help the major
take Mrs. Sheila OF our car and run
with her. against the horrible chance
that we might get II instead OF the
special
But we didn't get IL. Ten seconds
later the chasing engine had crashed
headlong into the standing train. bury
ing itself clear up TO the tender In the
heart OF the old wooden sleeper, roll
| Ing the whole business over on It's side
In the ditch. and setting the wreck
age afire as suddenly as II the old
Pullman had been fagot Of pitch-pine
kindlIngs and only waiting for the
match
II I could write down any real de-
scription OF the way things stacked up
there in that lonesome valley for the
little bunch Of US who stood aghast at
the awful horror. guess I wouldn't
need TO be hsmmering the keys "
typewriter In railroad office. But
never mind: no soldier sees any more
Of a battle than the part he is In.
There were seven OF US men. includ-
ing the engineer and fireman OF the
special. who were able 20 jump In and
try TO do something. and. looking back
az IL now. II seems as II we all did
what we could.
That wasn't much. About half Of
the people in the sleeping-car-sir by
actual count, as we learned after
ward-were killed outright In the
crash or 50 badly hurt that they died
pretty soon afterward; and the fire
was 50 quick and 50 hot that after
We had got the wounded ones out we
couldn't get all OF the bodies Of the
| Others
A. you'd imagine, the boss was the
head and front % that fierce rescue
| fight He had stripped OF his coat.
and he kept on diving into the burn
I Ing wreck after another and yet an
other 0f the victims until Il seemed a.
II BE- couldn't possibly do II one more
time and come out alive. tie didn't
] seem 20 remember that these verv men