The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-06-20

The Engineers Courage Saves a Train
Load of People.
(Erom the Charlotte Chronicle.1
The Charlotte bound passenger train
on the Airline road, due here yesterday
morning at 5 O'Clock, had a narrow es.
cape from total destruction at South Ty-
GER River, where it ran upon bridge, q
portion Of which had been burned away.
| The bridge over South Tiger is very
high structure, the track which IS laid
upon it being 100 feet above the ground.
It is approached by high trestle on
either side; and sparks from passing
engine set FIRE to the northern end Of the
bridge some time Monday night. The fire
had been burning for perhaps a couple
of hours, and had destroyed thirty feet
of the bridge on the Charlotte side when
the morning passenger train from Atlanta
came laundering up. Coming toward
Charlotte the bridge is approached
around q sharp curve, which prevents
the engineer, in his seat on the right
hand side Of the cab, from seeing the
bridge until he is almost upon it. On
this occasion Capt. Ed. Roseborough
was conductor, and engineer John Pettus
was in the cab.
The train approached the bridge at
the usual speed thirty miles ar hour
and when within few hundreds yards
of it engineer Pettus noticed heavy
smoke ahead, which he concluded was
from q burning brush-pile such as is
seen almost every day along the road.
When his engine forged round the curve
he lost sight OF the smoke, but just as he
emerged and the pilot threw a shadow
over the timbers OF the trestle he saw
that what he had thought burning
brush-pile was something far more serl-
Gus.
The bridge was burning away and his
engine was upon it,
There was but little time for thought.
A few more strokes of the driving-rod
would carry the whole train, with mass
of blazing timbers, down sheer descent
of 12O feet to the ground below. 1t re-
quited nerve to leap from the engine,
but it required greater nerve to remain
on it. Pettus remained at his post. he
reversed his engine and brought every
brake to bear upon the wheels with all
the force that was possible. The big
drivers of the engine flew backward with
lightning-ike revolution, streams OF tire
shot from every brake wheel under the
train, there was succession OF rough
jerks that threw the passengers from
their seats, and the train came to dead
halt--with the pilot of the engine within
Il cars s-length Of the fiery gap. The per-
spiration stood in cold drops on the en-
gineer's forehead as he looked from his
cab down into the chssm to the brink OF
which his train and the people upon it
had drawn so closely.
The train was backed frcn, the burning
structure and Capt. Roseborough and his
crew organized a bucket brigade and
after half-an-hour's work extinguished
the fire and saved the main portion OF
the bridge. The watchman whose duty
it is to patrol the bridge was not present,
it is said, but came upon the scene while
the people were fighting the fire, and
seeing the state of affairs disappeared.
The midnight train from Charlotte ap-
shortly afterwards, and transfer OF
passengers and baggage was made, the
train returning here at II o'clock yester-
day morning. A large force Of workmen
was put to work at once reconstructIng
the trestle, and trains crossed the bridge
in the afternoon.
The passengers speak in the highest
praise of engineer Pettus; and so appre-
ciative were they of his nerve and BRAY
cry that one of their number, the Rev.
Mr.. Pentecost, started subscription
and the passengers literally responded.
They made up purse of $40 which Mr..
Pentecost presented to engineer Pettus,
assuring him that it was ''but slight
token CT their appreciation of his action,
for they felt that he had saved them from
horrible death.