The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-06-21
At the Tyget's Fawning Mouth.

At the Tyget's YaRning Mouth.
The Charlotte bound passenger train
on the Air Line road, due here yesterday
morning at s o'clock, had narrow es'
cape FROM total destruction at South
Tiger River, where 1t ran upon bridge,
portion of which had been burned away.
The bridge over South Tiger is q very
high structure, the track which is laid
upon it being 100 feet above the ground.
It is approached by e high trestle on
either side; and sparks from passing
engine set fire to the northern end of the
bridge sometime Monday night. The
FIRE had been burning for perhaps cou'
pie 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 approach
ed around a 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 an hour-and
when within few hundred yards OF it
engineer Pettus noticed heavy smoke
ahead, which he concluded was from a
Burning brush pile such as is seen al
most 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 shadow
over the timbers of the treatle he saw
that what he had thought burning
brush pile was something far more seri-
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 descend
Of 120 feet to the ground below. 1tre'
quired nerve to leap from the engine, but
it required greater nerve to remain on it.
Pettus remained at his post. He re-
versed his engine and broughtevery brake
to bear upon the wheels with all the
force that was possible. The big drivers
of the engine few backward with light
ning.like revolution, streams of fire shot
from every brake wheel under the train,
there was a successlouof rough jerks that
threw the passengers from their seats,
and the train came 10 a dead halt-with
the pilot of the engine within q cars
length of the fiery gap. The perspira:
ton stood in cold Drops on the engineers
forehead as he looked from his cab down
into the chasm to the brink Of which his
train and the people upon it had drawn
so closely.
The train was backed from the burn.
ing structure and Capt. Roseborough gh and
his crew organized bucket brigade and
after halfan hours 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.
preached the north side of the bridge
shortly afterward, and transfer Of
passengers and baggage was made, the
train returning here at II O'Clock yester.
day morning. "A large force of work.
men was put to work at once reconstruct.
ing the trestle, and trains crossed the
bridge in the afternoon:
The passengers speak in the higes'
praise Of engineer Pettus and so ap'
preciative were they of bis nerve and
bravery that one of their number, Rev
Mr.. Pentecost, started q subscription and
the passengers literally responded. They
made up a purse of $40, which Mr.. Pen.
tecost presented to engineer Pettus.
assuring him that it Vas "but a slight
token of their appreciation of his action,
for they felt that he had saved them
from horrible death. Charlotte
Chronicle.