Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-12-01
VOL. 5.--NO. IA.
AN ESCAPED LOCOMOTIVE.

few days since, two passenger locomotives
going in opposite directions on the Little Mi
oma Road, came in collision near the new turn
table, mile or so above the Front street de-
pot, Cincinnati. The engineers saw each 9TH
er in time to reverse and one, or both sprang
TO the ground in anticipation of the shock,
which, however, was not great, as neither was
encumbered by the momentum OF train. But
the force of the collision jerked the throttle
valve of the upward engine wide open, and
before the engineer could retain his footing,
it leaped backward with frigbtful bound and
disappeared, city-ward, in the thick fog. Hor-
ror seized the men gathered at the spot, for
the escaped monster was fired up for the ex-
press run to Chilocothe, and roaring under
full head of steam-right in its path mile be-
low were hundred passengers settled on their
cushioned seats in the Columbia Express, soon
TO leave the depot, and beyond these an una
harmed city of two hundred Thousand souls
1t was all with God. No power could fol-
low after, and the doomed people were hardly
warned by the trembling ground and the clank
of insane machinery, before the visitation was
upon them.
Fortunately, should we not say providential-
ly, switch under the arch of the depot that
should have been open to the outgoing train,
had been LETT shut By negligent watchman,
and the fiery iron comet, going at seventy
miles an hour, swept through the building al
most singing the faces of the horror stricken
subjects of a Passover in the crowded passen-
ger cars on the parallel track-on, right on,
through the eastern wall of the depot, and
now, leaving the track, out upon the city.
Fortunately, again the direction of tke engine
was aside from the crowded street, and led
straight into one of those huge piles of stone
coal, that at this season fill the yards Of our
fuel merchants. Into this-nearly fifty feet
from the depot-the engine sailed, absolutly
without touching the intermediate ground.
Here il buried itself and waiowed in its Own
wreck until its fires had gone down and its
steam was quite spent.
The Ticket Agent of the Little Miami, in at
tempting to describe the appearance of the To-
comotiye as it came through the depot, uses
the most expressive paradox, ssI saw a sudden
noise go by, and all was still again"
People in Newport heard the unusual noise
made by the clang OF the flying engine. and
came over on the ferry boat to learn the cause.
The exact circumstances of the collision waa
not easily learned. The Little Miami locomo-
tive, John kugler, was backing down from Pen
dleton shop to take out the 6 A. NJ. Express
that followed the Columbus train with an in
terval of fifteen minutes The kugler might
have been little advance of its tiaae, as is
should have left the shop-three miles above
the depot, at $50, and the majority of the tes-
tinTony makes the time of collision 5-23to5- 80.
On the e;her hand, il was incumbent on the
Marietta engineer TO keep out Of the kugler's
way, and moreover, the apparent force of the
collision did not justify him in jumping from
his engine. But 1t is not true that the latter
gave his machine steam after he reversed, nor
that he was inexperienced on q locomotive. He
(W aterman) was the regular engineer of the
yard, or switching engine. 1t is likely that both
engines were going too fast, considering tho
circumstances of the time, and the thick fog.