Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-03-16
The Perils of RailrOading.-


the comfortable coaches of our rail-
roads as they glide with lightning like
speed over prairies and through tun-
nels, little dream of the manifold dan
gers to which the gallant men who
guide the mighty throbbing engines
are continually subjected. Whether
it be night or day !; though storms
may have threatened bridge and en-
bankment, yet duty iupels them 'ior-
ward, . not infrequently only to meet
death in its most terrible form. The
liabilities of swiftly moving machinery
wearing with the speed Of lightning
flash, to become discovered in an in
slant, offers no apology for detention,
only on! on! though chasms en-
gulph, or broken shafts strike out the
fame of life as instantly as the extin-
guishment Of a taper in a gale.
An incident occurred recently on
the Green Bay Rail Road, near Dex-
terville some four weeks ago, which
has but just come to our notice, which
is SO thrilling that we deem it unnec-
essary to offer any apology for giving
it to our readers.
The engine drawing the eastern
bound train when about two miles this
side of Dexterville, Chauncy Bostwick,
engineer, and Robt. Maxwell, fireman,
met with an accident in the breaking
of one of it's connecting rods, the rod
connecting the drive wheels. Mr..
Bostwick had, few days previously
placed beneath his seat in the cab a
two-inch oak plank in order to elevate
the seat for his better convenience and
was sitting thereon when the accident
occurred. The train was moving at
the rate of about fifteen miles an hour
only, but with sufficient speed to send
the ragged end of the discovered shaft
with the rapidity of lightning upwards
directly through the oak plank and
tool box which constitutes the seat,
and with such power as to knock Mr..
B. of, and against the ceiling of the
cab 1t was the work of an instant of
time, and with each revolution of the
ponderous wheels came the revolving
broken rod whipping its way with most
destructive force, and demolishing
everything with which in came in con-
tact Likewise, the rod in passing be-
low the wheel and striking the ties
gave the engine violent jolting, rails
ing it from the track with each revo
luton of the wheel, producing the eff
feet of ridin. rapidly over piece of
corduroy. Though stunned partially
Mr., B. did not lose his presence of
mind. Taking in the situation at a
glance. he attempted to reach the
throttle but discovered that a bolt
had been knocked out of place by the
swiftly revolving shaft, causing tor
rent of steam and boiling water to pour
| into the cab to an extent that threat
ened death by scalding, entirely hiding
from the vision everything within the
cab All this time the train was pound
ing along with no intimation to the
passengers that they were on the verge
of fearful catastrophe.
Mr.. b. amid the the seething steam
assisted by the fireman, both blinded
and suffering from the escaping steam
felt about for stick of wood where
with to reach the lever and thus shut
off steam. This he partially succeed
ed in doing, after which Mr. B. crawl
ed out of the window Of the cab and
crawling along succeeded in reaching
the "whistle" when he sswhistled down
brakes" with vengeance that sent
the breakmen to their posts as though
they had been shot out of gun, when
the train came to standstlll with no
further accident than above related,
The passengers were not cognizant OF
the terrible peril they had been in till
all was over The few minutes OF
suspense to which Mr.. Bostwick and
Mr.. Maxwell were subjected must have
been moments of terror, surrounded as
they were by death dealing missiles and
escaping scalding steam. The escape
was aim ost miraculous.
PerS0naI.-Mr. S. S, Casey who
formerly visited our merchants, and
now travelling man for The Riverside