The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-22
ENGINEER BEAMS DEATH.
Going Down at hi. Post In the Ruins OF IA Rot
ten Railroad Bridge.

Late on Wednesday afternoon n train Of
twenty-three loaded freight cars approached
the high bridge over the Tippecanoe river near
ward. The cars contained wheat and corn. The
engineer slowed the train up rs II nearcd the
irestle work connecting with the west end Of
mounted tho steps Of the locomotive and said
that he would ride 70 the cast end Of the struc-
ture. 4 few seconds later the whole OF the
west span OF the bridge. with the locomotive
and TWENTY-FIVE cars. went crashing into the
river falling ninety feet into six feet OF water.
The forward hrakemen says that he was
standing on the NTH ear from the locomotive
when the ear ahead OF him dropped. from the
bridge, He ran back, over the tops Of the cars
with all possible speed. each one plunging into
the abyss before his heels had hardly cleared it,
After lie had run the race Tor life oyer the tops
fourteenth he felt that sinking under his feet.
Escape from the awful leap was no longer pos
eye to the chances Tor life no stood still until
tho car had fallen nifty or seventy-nve feet Then
he Jumped Among the cars that had preceded
him was one that was resting on the bottom Of
tho river in slanting position, The brakeman
struck feet foremost against the inclined sur
face OF the side OF the car and shot of into the
water He ploughed the bottom OF the river for
IN instant. and reappeared on the surface, As
through the air. and his ears we're stunned by
the deafening crash OF timbers and boards.
BY the time this man had made his way to
him scranbling out OF the wreck in tho river.
Their escape from death had been not less won
utIlul IMAM MS OWN. Onc OF tlltSs WIS the nre-
man who had chung to the tender until within q
few feet OF the water, and then Jumped. and,
fortunately for him. alightod in a heap Of corn.
the contents ~ one Of the cars which, in strik-
ing against the rest Of the wreck. had been split
open. Tho llreman's injuries consisted OF e
cash on the scalp. q confusion on the face and
some bruis"s about the body. The other four
men who emerged from the wreck were tramps.
They had been stealing ride, and were cling
ing 10 the trucks when the accident happened.
The car on which they had been riding turned
bottom side up In the fall and they were hurled
from their place OF concealment into the water.
One of the four had two fingers cut of. but with
this exception the whole gang escaped COM
pRrAtively unhurt. Beam, the engineer and
Jerome Durphee. the bridge tender, who con-
trnry 10 his custom had boarded the locomotive
TO ride across the river, were buried under the
wreck.
The twenty-third car Of the train was the con-
ductors "caboose.' In this car were seven
passengers travelling from one local station TO
another. The brakeman in charge of the rear
half OF the train was Barney Moran. He was
near the centre Of the train when he heard the
bridge crashing and saw the forward cars and
locomotive plungng into the river, He ran
back to the caboose." and hurriodly pulling
out the coupling pin between II and the freight
car applied tho brakes with all his might. Had
he made u false movement or been moment
later, the car must have gone TO mingle with tho
canoe, But i stopped within seven feet OF the
hreclplce. Ihe passengers occupying this car
dld nol know what had happened until after the
wreck mad settled into perfect quiet at the bot
tom of the river. The fireman says that the last
he saw OF the engineer, Louis Beam he was
holding on tho throttc-liner and bending for
Whrd IN ms can. lie never ninched from duty
rs he followed his ponderous machine through
that TALL OF ninety feet
The bridge did not break down until after
several Of the cars had been thrown from il. II
the strain that broke the bridge The suan thni
fell was 100 feet long.