St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-19
FOUR RAILWAY STORIES.
Curious Instances of Ho,v Possible dc
dents Haze Been A,,o;d.I

Curious Instances of Ho,o Possible Accf-
dents Haze Been 4coided.
From the Norwalk Ohio Register.
"A few nights ago the limited express west
flew the track near Vermillion. Alth ouph
running at forty-five miles an hour. il
skipped along over the frozen ground and
the ties so gently as not even to crack
wheel. Although every wheel of the ten
coaches left the track but few of the passen-
gers we're awakened from sleep. 1t was in
many respects the most remarkable accident
that has ever happened on the road.
LUCKY THING ATL AROUND.
From the Cleveland Herald.
Yesterday when the fast New York express
on the Lake Shore was near Ripley both
driving wheels on one side of the engine
broke off and went skipping along over the
ground throwing snow and kicking up
great muss. The next thing to have oc-
Cured in the natural course of events would
have been for the engine to have careened
over and leave the track, but it did nothing
of the sort. After limplng along short dis
lance it stopped without occasioning any
accident, and very few OF the passengers
knew ANYTHING was the matter. Such case
atty was that one Of the great wheels, which
went on across lots. met house on the way
and crashed into it in a surprising manner.
Further good luck, however, confined the
damage to the clap-boards and the house
furniture, the family being luckily absent
from home.
SAVED BIZ A CRANKY ENGINEER.
From the North East Advertiser.
All east-bound passenger trains on a GER
tain road change locomotives at Erie, and
for many years it had been customary for
the second locomotive to await the arrival of
the train from the west, standing upon
portion of the main track, on each side of
which was high embankment broken just
beyond by an excavation for the passage
way of street underneath the rails. One
night when the fast train came in from the
west the air brakes failed to work, and re-
peated whistles by the engineer failed to
arouse the careless brakeman. The result
was that the express, instead of stopping at
the depot, crashed through at thirty miles an
hour. The second engine-where was it2
The score of railroad men about who knew
the circum stances held their breaths. The
time seemed to stop. The heavy express
must curtainlv crash into the locomotive and
all go over the bank. But nothing of the sort
happened. An engineer of one of the freight
locomo olives, who had long been known
among his fellows as crank. persisted that
night in taking his engine over that line,
and, despite many protests, the waiting pas
senger engineer had taken his locomotive on
to side track to let the cranky engineer,
with his engine, pass. The case had never oc-
Cured before. Nor did it occur again, fol-
the sleepy brakeman of the express was dis
charged and the second locomotive given
orders to wait in less exposed place.
HE HAD THE TRUE RAILROAD INSTINCT.
From the Ashtabula Telegraph.
"The most remarkable accident in my e1
perience," said Supt. Couch in answer to the
question, happened on the Newcastle road
to the track master. He was running down
grade on handcar and making fast time.
The last glow of twilight was all that was left
to illuminate the scene. Suddenly the man
saw the sheen of the two cylinder heads of
locomotive. The light falling on their bright
surfaces tended to disclose them first of all.
Realizing that the engine was close on him,
and that what he did must be done quickly,
he sprang from his handcar and plunged
down high embankment. He struck on
pile of stones and sustained severe but not
fatal injuries Curious to know what train
had been at that point at that hour, he made
inquiry and found that there was no train.
The cylinder heads that he supposed he saw
were dinner pals. Two section men were
returning home from work. walking one on
either side of the track with their dinner pail
in hand, and the waning light fell on the
pals in such manner as TO give them the
appearance Of the cylinder heads of an
engine. 1t was a curious accident, but il
showed that the matchmaker had the instinct
of a true railroad man. There was no time
to wait and investigate, for had he done SO
and it had proven to be an engine, it would
have been everlastingly too late.