The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-12-30
Two Trains Pass on the Same Track:

''Talkin' bout peculiar railway acci-
dents" said an old brakeman with two
mashed, crooked hands and weather.
beaten face; ''talkin' bout peculiar rail
wav smash-ups. let me tell you bout one
1 seen when youngster. 1t was bout
twenty years ago, an created heaps of
excitement at the time, though | s'pose
most folks has forgotten it by this time.
But hain't. Mighty good reason why
/ shouldn't forgit it-I was there. | was.
an pretty nigh got done up.
.'It was down on the old Erie road.
i'll York State. | was a track-walker
an one dark night was out on my sec
ton down near Hornellsviile. l had
just reached a straight, level pla"e
tween two curves and cuts when look
ed up and saw the headlight of Il train
comm toward me. That was all right.
cause that tram was expected. 1t was
the pay car runnin' back to New York.
and could see that she was a-comin'
like lightnin'. Just then l turned an
looked in t'othcr direction. an by the
great horn spoon there was another
headlight, Just comm round onto the
stralght-a wild ingine runnin' back to
Hornellsville, an maxim sixty miles an
/ hour if she WAS movin' at all.
What did l do? I'm a-comin' to
! that My first idea was to run, SOS to
git as far aways possible when they
struck each other. But hain't no cow
ard I've allus been noted fer my BRAY
cry and my veracity, an it's the truth
I'm tellin We when say that | made up
my mind to prevent the wreck if could
do it by r:skin' my own life. Well, sir,
, l had no sooner thought of it than be-
gan to act. | seized n sleeper that was
lyin' long side the track there and plac-
ed it right across the rails. While |
was doin' this-an' dId it quicker'n
kin tell you about tit seemed that
both ingines was on me, an them a
screamin' like mad. | had just fairly
got the sleeper laid when the wild in
CINE rushed up an almost hit me as |
drew back Then / shut my eyes an
dropped into the ditch.
Guess | must of lain there ten min
utes or such Il matter, when one o the
railroad men came and tugged at me
an told me to git uP-everything was
all right an nobody hurt.
You saved us from an awful
wreck he said. Git up old fellow;
your hero
'S-saved you from q wreckn gasp
ed, .h-how did it happen?
why, that tic you put on the track
was just the stuff. ole feller, just the
stuff, Our wild ingine got to it just be-
fore the pay-car did, and when we
struck it we went flynn into tho air,
clean over the top o the pay-car and
her lngine, Every wheel took the rails
on t'other side, an We run half mile
fore we could stop her.
II rubbed my eyes and stared at
him.
80, you don't believe me- he says;
but look-there stood the ingines and
you kin see for yourself. The wild III
gine is between Hornellsville and tho
pay-car.
ii looked an saw that it was true.
In placing that tie on the track | had
done better than | had any idea on.
My intention was to throw one o the
ingincs from the track so that only one
o them would be wrecked, but | never
hope to see railway agin in my life il
that wild ngine didn't jump over
t'other one and light on her feet like Il
cat. had solved the problem of how
to make two trains pass each other on
the same track. ."-lrGiH IdiE Ia Chtca.
| 40 UcrVia