The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-06-30
SAVED BY FIVE SECONDS.
Mrs. John Miller Prevents the
Wrecking of Three Trains.
The WASHINGTON Accommodation
Narrowly Escapes q Collision.
Post Dispatch Jure y.

| Narrowly escapes a COLLISION.
Post Dispatch Juue %
Little things are liable to be over
looked, and the action of Mrs. John
Miller, of Glendale, vino by the sim
pie waving of her bonnet last Saturday
evening averted an accident that
might have resulted in a serious loss
of life, will probably have been for
gotten by the parties most directly in
terested before this item apears in
type. Mrs. Miller is the wife of
Professor Haight's gardener, and
Prof. Haight is the proprietor of the
Glendale Boys school, which is To-
Gated on the high ground within the
railroad curve. about half mile from
Glendale station. The lady came E
the door. of her little home about
o'clock Saturday afternoon, and looE
ing west saw two trains coming sid
by side on the parallel tracks that pas
the Haight property, She bad heart
the Washington accommodation
trains whistle a few seconds before,
and a glance toward the east showed
that the accommodation was approach
ing at high rate of speed. Calling
her little boy, she sent him running In
the direction of the east bound trains
with instructions to- signal them.
Then she ran herself to the high bank
overhanging the curve, and as Mr..
John I. Field, of the Granite Noun
tain Mining company expressed it,
be. an wildly waving her sunbOnnet at
the engineer. He reversed the engine
and Immediately put on the air brakes.
The passengers knew nothing of their
danger. and though some were sur.
prised by the jolting they got, there
were few inquiries about the sudden
stop, and no alarm. The danger wac,
however, greater than could be mag
ined. The Washington accommoda-
ton left the Union depot at 5:25p. m.
There were Eve or six coaches in the
train and all were crowded. The pas.
sengers were mostly lads who had.
come to town to attend the matinee
concert gwen by the Mexican band.
At Webster Grove the majority Of the
passengers got off and left about 200
to distribute between that point and
Kirkwood. People who journey over
this road will remember tnat there is
but single track approaching Web
ster. There the double track is re-
sumed. Nearing Glendale two tracks
run through deep curve in the shape
of quadrant of a circle. The left
ack is the one generally used by the
accommodation. Indeed, it had been
used right straight along until last
Saturday Then it was known that
the eastbound express was behind
time, and having, of course, the right
of way, the accommodation
WAS SWITCHED ON To THE RIGHT
... TRACK,
and began the run. The conductor of
the accommodation must not have
been informed of the presence on that
track of another train. Still there
was one there. The engineer of the
was made aware of
this fact almost simultaneously with
observing Mrs. Miller and her waving
bonnet. Looking ahead he saw q
train nearing him on the
same track. His engine was going at
full speed, and it looked for a mo-
ment as if a collision could not be pre-
vented, but sharp application of the
Westinghouse brake brought the pas
senger to a standstill, just as it got
within twenty feet of the other train.
The latter kept moving forward, as it
was impossible to check Its speed with
the ordinary brake appliances. The
backed out of lts way,
and the construction engine finally
stopped right over the spot vacated
i've seconds before by the other engine.
No sooner had the opposing trains
come to a staudstill, than the express
rushed into view around the curve and
vent booming by. The express was
making up lost time" which means
hat it was running at top speed. The
train consisted of a half
lozen fiat cars heavily laden with
'ock, and csboose. 1t is easy to see
hat opportunity was here afforded for
! magnificent catastrophe. Had the
accommodation and construction trains
as they would undoubtedly
ave done but for Mrs. Miller's provi-
ential Intervention,
PART OF THE WRECK
~ -' roo th-own upon the
ther track just in time to increase the
orror of the occasion by adding the
We or six coaches of the express with
heir numerous passengers to the de.