The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-11-14
A Boy With Presence of Mind.

from the LOUISVILLE courier JOURNAL
In conversation with a prominent
physician the other day the subject Of
railroad accidents and escapes came up.
Zone of the most remarkable instances
Of presence of mine of which ] have
ever heard" said he, s'was related tc
me by Colonel John D. Wickliffe moi
long ago. II wa on the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad, near the MUD
raugh's Hill tunnel. At that time the
science of running trains was in a very
elementary state. The practice was to
run them all mi way at a time. In the
morning the trains would be started
from Nashville to Louisville and in the
evening they would be run back. They
went in sections. Colonel Wickliffe
one evening was one of a party OF
officers and others who made up
a train to Nashville. They were
preceded by another train at a distance
of about a mile a third one followed.
They pulled out from the depot at a
late hour and made is good time as pos
sible when fairly on the road. Every
thing went smoothly enough till the
tunnel was reached, when the first train
was halted by a signal just before en-
tering. Upon Investigation it was
found that a freight train had broken
down in the passage.
Every n who has been over the
road knows how steep is the grade OF
Muldraugh's Hill. To climb it the en-
gineers put on every ounce of steam and
take off the brakes till the friction is re-
duced to a minimum. The summit is
but a short distance from the tunnel and
a deep curve in the track hides an APP
preaching train till within o few hun
dred yards. Up this incline, but hid
den by the curve, was heard the putting
of the third train. The ponderous en-
CINE was laboring gallantly and drawing
the long string Of cars behind her as
easily as q trotter the light sulky of his
driver. The summit was reached and,
with wild shrek of delight,
the train sprang around the
first curve and darted upon the
trestlework. The momentum gained
in the upward struggle carried il
across with race-horse speed and the
track quivered and stretched beneath
its eager tread. The cold night air vi
brated with the putting of the enigma
and the hills echoed and re-echoed tire
shrieks of the whistle. The train was
not two minutes distance from the
second section when first heard. The
horror stricken passengers in front
were caught in a trap. The real train
had been totally forgotten and it wa
now bearing down upon them, bringing
death and torture nearer and nearer.
Sat that awful moment a newsboy.
with a great bundle of papers, dashed
like mad through the car to the real.
The men yielded an instant passage and
he was but a moment in reaching the
rear platform. How he managed it nc
n knew, but he had whipped out
match and had a bundle of papers in
flames just as the headlight Of the adj
vancing engine appeared around the
curve. His entire stock famed up, and
he waved and shouted, his face and
form lit up as perhaps was Casabianca's
Oh that fatal day at Trafalgar. The
engineer saw him just in time. He re-
versed his engine and put on breaks SO
rapidly that his train simply bumped
against the one in front. The pluck
and presence of mind of the boy had
saved scores of lives.
About five minutes after the pas.
sengers realized that they were saved.
a collection was taken up among the
officers and the newsboy was made
richer by $500. l wish 1 could remem-
Der his name, but it is doubtful if it
will ever be known"