Emery County Progress | 1907-01-19 | Page 3 | Young Man's Race for Life over a Trestle

YOUNG MANS RAGE RACE FOR LIFE OVER A TRESTLE caught on structure w th bicycle he rides ahead of train to safety chicago at elgin III the C M st P railway li his liis is a double track trestle which runs along and directly over the fox river in the days when bicycles were a fad I 1 with other boya boys of my age would spin up the narrow walk which ran between the two tracks we could get up more speed on this stretch than any other place within the city limits and being a mile long it was pretty good sport I 1 raced as I 1 had never raced be fore I 1 sold a chicago newspaper in elgin at that time and usually took my stand at the station which was direct ly at the head of the trestle one summer evening I 1 was loitering at this station after my papers were sold when a brakeman remarked that a freight had broken on the grade north of elgin and that part of the train was traveling back to town as a runaway I 1 jumped on my wheel and started for the old famal liar spin along the trestle I 1 had ridden part way when I 1 noticed the train coming over the trestle from the north it was coming at a rapid rate I 1 dismounted and stood in the other track tor for the train to go by it made a deafening noise as it thun dered along the shriek of a whistle caused me to turn the passenger train had j left the station and was approaching from the south I 1 hesitated a moment between dropping through the trestle into the river below and racing the train to the end of the trestle I 1 decided to ride the ties the train came on fast er I 1 raced as I 1 had never raced before faster came the train faster did I 1 ride yet it seemed to to be gain ing the ties offered terrible resist ance compared with the walk between the tracks which I 1 had always ridden before it was almost on to me in a flash I 1 threw my wheel into the river and jumped after it just as the express thundered by