The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-21
A RAILROAD ENGINE ON ITS TRAVELS
THE MOST REMdRKABLE LEAP ONREC-
prom the Cincinnati Gazette, Nov. ls.l

4
One of the most remarkable incidents which have
been called upon to record of late occurred at the depot
OF the Little Mama railroad yesterday morning, about six
clock 1t certainly has fellow in all its details n
railroad annals The facts connected with II fol-
! lows 1t ~
About fifteen minutes before six o'clock, the engine
Washington belonging TO the Marietta and Cincinnati
road started down the track some half threequarters
of mile the purpose Of bringing the empty 10
the depot preparatory To making up the o. 10 train tho
engine being under the control of man employed about
the yard and not the regular engineer About half
mile from the depot the ia charge discovered an en-
gne of the LATHE Mama road backing down to the depot
for the purpose of taxing out the morning train for Ceye
land Fearing collision, the person ia charge Of tho
Marietta engine reversed and jumped from tbs machine.
minute after the two engines came together when the
impetus given 10 the Marietta engine together with tho
force OF the reversed power started 1t towards the depot
with the velocity of rocket The down grade gave it
additional heaiway and il bonnod along the track Ike
end incnae, belching forth fire aud smoke 70 the dis
tance of twenty thirty feet from the track and literally
bounding from the iron rails threatening destruction to
every thing that mpeded its progress. Experienced
Judges of the speed of railway trains who this engine
its lightning travels say that il could not have been
going at less rate than serenity fire 70 hundred nies
hour Its final bringing up shows that their calculations
could not have been far out OF the way.
Upon the track in the depot the morning train, con
sisting of four five cars had been made up, and
about hundred passengers had already taken their
seats. On the engine with the speed of dcsruct-
i've whwind, directly upon the track leading to the
train until within about four five rods OF the depot,
when the fortunate accidental change Of switch drove ID
upon the other track Almost before the persons stand
ing by could renise that engine had entered one end
of the depot the iron teed had bounded through the en-
tire length, demolished eighteen inch brick raA tnbers
and ALL at the rear leaped two road tracks
about ten feet below the otherwithout touching shr,
and embedded itself in huge pile Of coal in the yard OF
j. Cochnowerl The distance leaped, from the wall of
the depot To the lamp of the engine could not have been
less than Mpefvs feet All this distance through the
demolished wall of the depot dragged the tender load
ed with weod, without breaking the couplings. go
But for the fortunate change in the switch which threw
the engine upon the opposite track to that on which the
Cleveland train standing, the loss Of life must have
been terrible The force which rent brick wall egh-
teen inches thick for circle of fifteen or twenty feet
would have smashed the upon the track into frag
mcnts and fearful destruction of life and limb must
have followed Had the person in charge Of the engine
not become frightened and jumped when he reversed the
machinery the accident would have been avoided and the
fact the necessity of permitting none but expert
enced handle machinery which possesses 30 much
power The regular engineer would have known that he
running upon the time which belonged to the Cleve
land train, and would not have started out
Christopher Bonney, cleaner at the depot, was
also on tie Washington but jumped off after tho en-
CINE got under good headway, and was very badly nur
ed He was the only person who hurt. The engine
and tender damaged 10 the extent OF some four or
five thousand dollars.