New Nick Carter Weekly, No. 23 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“! =e disgusted at the failure of the agents realized it it was almost upon them. ae ae ‘the locomotive had passed the last sta- | back in alarm for it seemed as if the loco- | x that a special train had been sent from e p the tracks. that place. assured him of this. the be Ste * NEW NICK CARTER WEEKLY. The specie had telegraphed ‘rumble of the engine could be heard far 4} Laredo to Texuca, and meantime there| A little later it appeared around a | was no encotraging report from the curve from which its course ran ia a stations along the Jine about the stolen Fetpadelss line as far as the river. locomoti ve. Smoke was belching forth from the It seemed that there were freight cars |stack showing that steam had not been upon the sidings at every station and the shut off. agents did not dare to turn the switch so} ‘‘Thefools!’’ muttered the superintend- that the locomotive should smash into ent under his breath, ‘‘if they don’t shut them. f steain soon they won't be able to stop The result was that the wreckers con- tinued on their way, mile ante mile un-; ‘‘What can they be thinking about?’ disturbed. iasked another official who stood by. Of course there had to be an end of ‘‘They must know that we'll stop them their race some time and Trim hoped that ‘somehow here and it’s certain death for they would be caught in Laredo, if their | them to come to this piace at full speed !’’ flight was not stopped before they reached| ‘‘Full speed it is though!’’ remarked the superintendent. “T never saw au\ ch speed on a railroad !”’ | “*“The engine is likely -to jump the ‘tracks at the switch | ’ exclaimed another. Pernepe so but that will stop her any- way. wo ‘Ves, but it'll send the machine tear- ing into ‘the s station | Bs O , her at all!”’ A telegram from the su perintendent tes ee cae get as far as Laredo,”’ it read, on’t go any further.”’ flying locomotive did get as tar as This town is situated upon the banks of the Rio Grande which at that point is! gow boundary line between the United! ‘Phere was not much time to speculate States and Mexico. about what would happen for the engine _ The superintendent of the division, was coming’so fast that before the officials - —_ > __ along the line to stop the locomotive, de-} It turned at the switch with a terrible rinined that it should not cross the river | jolting and swaying, and sparks went up even if he had to. cause the destruction fro m the rails as the wheels crunched great deal of property to prevent it. | against them. “4 ~ Accordingly when it was known that) Most of the crowd of spectators started . wetore Laredo, the Bal peer ‘motive. would Jump the rails and come —F -eleared ay cars tnd ‘he sesitch taraad so It held « on onateoe “end in the next that the locomotive should run upon it. - |jystant roared by at a speed much greater. 7 = “a = This side track ended in a freight shed than a mile a minute. wa at tthe +e) bake of the river. a 3 ae ‘trains come down this grade the the siding. 3S ae the station at Larec c we the sid- | leap went over the fabankinent into the | ing: ad been pitestice for the c > oncoming: aver where it disappeared in a huge cloud — ‘The superintendent had no more bas 3 | long down erade from alexclaimed: ‘‘Theré’s nec obody on board’” e south _of Laredo to the river. before the locomotive was at the end of | i without stear ~ put on brakes to preve oo headway. ae: ast in fact they have to| Ty dashed against the buffer in the” = ’ | frei ght shed, tearing it away as if it were so much paper, and then burst through — of excitement the brick wall and with a “great % ...-...., ‘There was a good -¢ oa tear ee i Sie - » ian - ' r | D4 <4 _ i way