WRECKED 23 



some of them looked as if wrestling with each other, 

 or like the wreck of a child's block house. Strange to 

 say, there was only one life lost, that of the faithful 

 engineer, who was killed outright while at his post, by 

 the shifting of the coal in the tender, which jammed 

 him against the heated boiler. The accident occurred 

 near Terrace, and there was soon a telegram sent for 

 aid. Our car was so badly jammed that the cold 

 winter wind came whistling through, and made it very 

 uncomfortable. I searched a long time among the 

 broken glass and window-frames for my satchel, which 

 I at length found, but I was not so fortunate in regard 

 to my clarinet ; and at last, much against my will, I 

 was obliged to give it up. It had been a good compan- 

 ion to me, and many a desolate camp had been enli- 

 vened by its mellow tones, while the wooded banks of 

 many a winding river had echoed back its sweet and 

 cheerful notes. 



But to return. We collected boards from the dis- 

 abled freight cars, and tried to make our home habitable. 

 We patched up the stovepipe, wired our broken stove 

 together, and with some of the " kindlings" soon had 

 the place comfortable. What a bruised, dejected crew 

 we were, as we stood about the fire in the shattered 

 car ! Long before morning a gang of Chinamen arrived, 

 and were building a track around the wreck. The 

 emigrant train came along about eight o'clock A.M. 

 How the boys laughed when they saw me ! I was 



