The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-06-22
4 FEARFUL HALF.HOUR.
Live, Of Cincinnati M~illionnircs in Inn
mincut Peril.

Live. Of Cincinnati Millionuircs in Inn
mincut Peril.
In the early days of the Cincinnati
Southern, before it had attained it's
present system, and Immediately after
the road had been opened for traffic to
Somerset, occurred All event the recol-
lection of which even to this day serves
to bring out goose flesh on those who
at the time were cognizant of the i'm
pending disaster.
Within q few days after passenger
travel began the officers of the Southern
sent invitations for q trip over the road
to all of Cincinnati's wealthiest men and
heaviest taxpayers, and on the morning
of the excursion dozens Of carriages left
the Burnet house, the place of meeting,
and conveyed them across the river to
Ludlow, where the especial" headed
by No. l, the crack engine, with Mat.
Coombs at the lever, was in waiting.
Miles N. Beatty, now superintendent OF
the southern division, was conductor.
When all the excursionists were on
board the engineer and conductor went
into Train Dispatcher Cooledge's office,
where they read and signed the follow
ing order, and placed copies i'll their
pockets:
"Meet and pass No. 2, north-bound
passenger train, at Williamstown."
To Williamstown for delivery to the
north bound passenger train on arrival,
was sent the following order:
"-Conductor:
"Meet and pass south bound special
at Williamstown."
So that the situation stood thus
either train reaching the place indicated
first was to 60 on the siding and wait
there until the one coming from the OPP
posite direction had arrived and gone
ahead on the cleared track. OF the
wealthy passenger load some were seat
ed chatting, others were standing on
the platforms, and still others on the
summer car, when, glancing up and
down his train, the conductor, finding
everything in good order and readiness,
waved his hand to the watching engi-
neer, and the special pulled out, slowly
at first, but as it moved on the speed in
creased until invent out of sight around
the curve a-fying, and a little later a
rumbling sound told of it's crossing the
~trestle, and that it was we'll and fairly
started on the way south. 1t was un-
derstood that extra fast time was to be
made, and to offer no obstacle the
track had been cleared Of: everything
save the passenger train referred to.
One half hour after the start from
Ludlow, No. 2, fifteen minutes behind
time, reached Williamstown, at which
place the standing rule was imperative
that conductors should at all times stop
and inquire for orders. Stopping only
long enough to unload a passenger IN
the mud, the conductor, thinking only
of making up lost time, signaled the
engineer, and the train went On.
The Mortified operator from his win
dow saw No. 2 flashing northward to
what seemed inevitable destruction, as
the telegraph lille I1t~oen his room and
Ludlow was unbroken by a slr;ele in
strument, and OF that moment tw n
at Ign rates oSpee1 were rapid! -
ening the distance between each other
on the single track. He telegraphed at
once to Ludlow that "No. 2 had passed
without stopping for orders"
All color left the face OF train dis
patcher Coolidge as he received the
message and as he communicated the
dire intelligence to Jack Redmond,
master of transportation, that individ-
uals countenance assumed q similar
hue. With him to think was to act.
Stepping to the station door he quiet
" beckoned several men to him
and composedly gave instructions to
each. One-half dozen of them went
on the double-quick in different
directions for physicians. The store
keeper went into the warehouse and
gathered together sponges, baskets, ma
terials for splints and soft muslin for
bandages. Meanwhile other employees
had run up to the engine-house, and
starting a fire under IN idle locomotive
had hitched on to q caboose and backed
down in front of the station where the
car was transformed at once into a hos
pital coach. To all save Redmond and
Coolidge these preparations We're mys-
FERROUS. The relief train was soon III
readiness, but did not start. Redmond,
seated at the desk and estimating the
rate of speed at which the trains were
moving, calculated about where the
collision would take place. Some ofthe
passengers would escape unhurt, and
one of them would hasten at once on
horseback to Williamstown, the nearest
point for medical aid. Hear the opera
tor would learn the exact locality OF the
accident and send a dispatch to Lud.-
low. Possessed Of this information
Redmond could send his waiting engine
and car, with It's corps Of physicians and
nurses, to the spot at the rate of nearly
q mile q minute. The other and slower
plan would be to have let the relief"
start out and cautiously find it's way
around the many curves. He chose
the wiser course. The scene in
the train dispatcher's Office was
painful. Coolidge, leaning over the
Silent instrument, watched it with
feverish eyes as if to read it's secret be-
fore transmission. On another chair
was Redmond, with big globes of per-
SEPARATION coming from the pores of his
face and rolling down u%nheeded.
Neither man spoke. Five, ten, twenty,
thirty minutes that seemed like ages
past, when came a sharp click. 1t was
Williamstown calling Ludlow. Cool-
edges hair rose up on end as he gave
the response. Redmond stood up AMI
placed q hand on the door-knob. The
next moment Coolidge fairly yelled,
Ono collision. No. 2 has just backed
into Williamstown." The two men
shook hands with the same vigor as #
they were twin brothers and hadn't met
for a thousand years.
It was then a%scertained that, by the
most fortunate circumstances, the trains
had simultaneously entered from or
posite ends upon the longest piece of
straight track between the two tcle-
graph stations, and instantaneous appli-
cation of brakes had brought them to a
stop within twenty feet of each othe:.
No. 2, recognizing the ~"special's" right
of way, backed to Williamstown, where
it went in on the siding, and Cincin-
MATHS millionaires and capitalists pro
ceeded unhurt on their journey.-Cn
cinnati Commercial.
What They Want in Colorado.
We want girls-girls who can get
themselves up in good shape to 60 to a
dance. The boys are getting tired OF
receiving invitations with a request that