ong its banks. They watched

The Waters Go Dashing

by and wondered whether the creek could get much higher. But a few
inches more and it would overflow its banks. There seemed to be a
feeling of uneasiness among the people. They seemed to fear that
something awful was going to happen. Their suspicions were strengthened
by the fact that warning had come down the valley for the people to be
on the lookout. The rains had swelled everything to the bursting point.
The day passed slowly, however.

"Noon came and went, and still nothing happened. We could not proceed,
nor could we go back, as the tracks about a mile below Conemaugh had
been washed away, so there was nothing for us to do but to wait and see
what would come next.

"Some time after 3 o'clock Friday afternoon I went into the train
despatcher's office to learn the latest news. I had not been there long
when I heard a fierce whistling from an engine away up the mountain.
Rushing out I found dozens of men standing around. Fear had blanched
every cheek. The loud and continued whistling had made every one feel
that something serious was going to happen. In a few moments I could
hear a train rattling down the mountain. About five hundred yards above
Conemaugh the tracks make a slight curve and we could not see beyond
this. The suspense was something awful. We did not know what was coming,
but no one could get rid of the thought that something was wrong at the
dam.

"Our suspense was not very long, however. Nearer and nearer the train
came, the thundering sound still accompanying it. There seemed to be
something behind the train, as there was a dull, rumbling sound which I
knew did not come from the train. Nearer and nearer it came; a moment
more and it would reach the curve. The next instant there burst upon our
eyes a sight that made every heart stand still. Rushing around the
curve, snorting and tearing, came an engine and several gravel cars. The
train appeared to be putting forth every effort to go faster. Nearer it
came, belching forth smoke and whistling long and loud. But

The Most Terrible Sight

was to follow. Twenty feet behind came surging along a mad rush of water
fully fifty feet high. Like the train, it seemed to be putting forth
every effort to push along faster. Such an awful race we never before
witnessed. For an instant the people seemed paralyzed with horror. They
knew not what to do, but in a moment they realized that a second's delay
m