Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-05-23
ASD 4 HOT FIGHT IN THE ENGINE.

| AND HOT FIGHT N THE ENGINE
From the Topeka II an Commonwealth
\ passenger train on the Missouri, Kansas
and Texas road came rattling up the valley
between Parsons and Emporia the other
| evening, with Dave Dunham Mt the throttle
and Johnnie Haley at tine furnace. inst A. It
has every evening for the past siN Year, As
| engineer and hremen these tive bows have
| stood side by side on this run sine. the
| spring of 1913, and have not only registered
ION time. but have. by their stri-t atteu-
| ton to the rules OF the road, gained the con-
| tdence of their employers and the friendship
of many people living along this division OF
| the Missouri, Kansas and Texas. A. the
| train pulled out from the low lanl ON the
| NeO5ha and struck the prairie, the conductor
| noticed q sudden change iii speed but.
thinking the boys might be lifting" Eer
\ little to meet the grade. paid no attention to
| 1t. The grade was met and passed AS though
no grade was there, and then down the IHiI
she started at terrible rate; As she skim
med along the passengers began to show
! signs Of nervousness, as they saw farm houses
rushing along as close together, apparently.
AS i'll Kansas town, and the conductor too be
gan L. think all was Lot night at ths. tenn
end. As the speed increased 1T every ryyo-
/ luton Of the wheels, cushions lunch blskets
bundles and babies flew around the car like
mad, and the thoroughly frightened passen-
gers appealed to the conductor to stop the
train. By this time he realized tbs. danger
himself, and knowing that Il Santo F,. freight
train lha1 the right of way at the Emporia
junction, and that it would be certain death
to reach there ahead of time, he ierked the
bell-rope as though town were on fire. The
bell sounded the alarm, bat as TO response
came from the whistle, he realized for the
first time that he was on runaway train, five
coaches from the engine Watcher il WAS
the small amount of his llie-insurunce policy,
or the safety of the passengers that urged
him on, will remain an open question. but
1t is morally certain that he was not many
seconds IN passing through the coaches,
scaling the iron rail of the maii-car, aud land
ing en- the coal pile near the locomotive,
which was writhing under the pressure offs
pounds more of steam than was necessary
tor CELEBRITY, comfort or convenience. lie
says rs he struck the water tank aud rolled
down into the cab, the engine WAS going SO
fast that the telegraph poles along the road
looked like Il picket fence. 1t took but
moment to put on the air brakes, reverse
the lever. and slow her down within 2OO
yards of an open switch at the Santa Fe
crossing the run of miles had been made
in less than minutes. When the train stop
ped the fireman jumped from the engine and
ran down the track towards the city. and the
engineer, arising from the floor OF the cab,
explained that just as they feared the
Neosha grade, Haley, the fireman, accused
him OF having reported something diScredi-
table TO him to thedlvisIOu super
intendent. This he stoutly denied, where
upon Haley assaulted him with coal pick,
and hand-tO-hand scutile ensued. In the
melee the throttle was thrown open, ana 60
ing at the rate of 4 mile minute they
fought it out on that line. On leaving
the train Haley ran down to the court house.
and had Sheriff Moon lock him up IN Il cell
fearing that he would be overtaken, lie said
and killed. Durham and his friends. Dun
ham Was conveyed in n carriage to . physi-
clan had his wounds dressed. The conduc-
tor ran the train through 10 junction City,
leaving his engineer in the hands o! i nurse
and his fireman in the hands Of sL-il.