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Show RAILWAY STORY , Logan January 3, 1003. Editor Itcpubllcan: Heading your stories In your last Issue given by railroad employes, reminds re-minds mo of the one told by the late Hon. G. AV. Thatcher; the facts occurring oc-curring as stated by him while ho was superintendent of the Utah Northern By. "When the Oregon Short Line was being built from Poca'tcllo to Huntington, men with their families, teams and equipments were shipped from Ogden and Preston to Pocatcllo, thence west. The run from Ogden north to l'oeatello was comparatively slow, being a narrow guagc road. A train loaded with the above effects passed through Logan one evening, thence to Preston. The last two cars of this train were loaded A with men who were having a hilarious -C time drinking, smoking, playing cards ' etc., to pass the time away. When reaching Preston some switching had to be done and the hind part of the train was detached, and left standing on the main track upon the Preston hill. The brakes on this part of the train proved defective, thereby not holding It. The detached part commenced com-menced to move slowly back down the hill towards Franklin. The conductor con-ductor and brakemen were with the engine and the forepart of the train. The runaway train increased Its speed until It reached about 50 or 00 miles per hour. On It Hew past AVhlt-ney AVhlt-ney and over the trestle works north of Franklin. Just at this time the night passenger train reached Franklin Frank-lin from the south with Superintendent Superintend-ent Thatcher on board. Upon stepping step-ping to the platform, he, with others, observed the lights on the rear part of the train coming towards them from the north. The grade being upward from the trestle work the detached train, slackned Its speed and finally stopped when within a few steps of the Franklin depot. As it did so two men came out on the rear end of the car within hearing distance of the passengers who were standing on the platform at Franklin. One of them addressing his companion asked, j. "What place is this IsV" Second man W"I don't know". First man-"Dld you ever hear of such d d people to run trains as these Mormons; arc during dur-ing the daytime they have been poking like along snails 10 or 12 miles an hour, and just as soon as night comes they turn themselves loose at the rate of GO miles per hour." This conversation conversa-tion took the superintendent and others over to them, who quickly took in thcsltuatlon. When explained, the passengers were nearly scared to death, coming down the hill at breakneck break-neck speed and no guard at the brakes and not any of the passengers knew they were traveling backwards, brought about evidently by their Indulgence. Congratulations were In order. Shortly after, the engine from Preston arrived and returned with her runaway cargo. "Where Ignorance Ignor-ance Is bliss, It Is folly to bo wise." |