Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-08-22
A RUNAWAY ENGINE
Dnshing Through the Heart OF
baltimore nt n Mile a NHinutc-A
Crash st Calvert SintiOu

Disabling Through the Heart OF
baltimore nt II Vile n NHinutc-A
Crash sit Calvert Station.
Tuesdays Baltimore Sun said /: A
remarkable runaway of steam locomo.
tive occurred in Baltimore yesterday
morning. The ponderous piece OF mech
anism, although running as fast rs steam
could propel 1t thtough four stations and
half dozen tunDels vt o time OF day
between 8 and 10 o'clock when there
were plenty of people stirring about the
tracks, injured no person aud did no prop
erty damage until it reached Calvert sta
tion, in the very heart OF the city. Thereits
career wsB stopped by running into two
empty coaches and diving them Though
the "a inch side wall OF Nelson, Morris d
90. q storage house, No. 500 North street.
The locomotive, which was.yard engine
No. S8, of the Northern Central railway,
had come, without engineer or fireman,
from Lafayette station, one mile west of
Fulton station. At Calvert station it
would have been in collision with shift
ing engine 30, and would have killed the
engineer, John Purdy, aud hia fireman,
aud IL would also nave run into and
greatly damaged Calvert station had not
| Switchman George Osbourn deity turned
the runaway into the yard and warned
Purdy back.
The details of the accident are as fol-
| lows: The runaway engine, No 80, with
George Fiickirgsr, engineer, and Edward
Cox, fireman, had drawn freight train
westward 10 Lafayette station, on the
Baltimore Il Potomac track.
Just as the men had shifted over the
many switches to take q north-bound
track to the city, tho Philadelphia express
from Washington, due at Union station,
Charles street, at 9.03 o'clock, came rap
idly along the same track around tho
ourve. Engineer Elickipger shouted to
Fireman Cox to jump, stopping himself
to reverse his engine and propel il for.
ward with wide-open throttle SO rs to
sent it in the came direction as the express,
which was laundering down upon him
lie then leaped from the cab window
Both men received trivial bruises.
The runaway then bounded forward
distanciDg the express, which slowed uI
without mishap. The shifter continued
gaining speed at every piston-siroke
dashing through Fulton and Pennsyl
vania avenue stations, passing tnrougl
the tunnels connecting the two, aud TIN
long one leading to Union station, Thu
main depot Of the Pennsylvania System
J in Baltimore.
Upon the Union Station tracks wer
the Niagara express and o PHILADELPHIA
wsy train taking on and letting of numei
/ ous passengers. Meanwhile tho DANCE,
Gus engine, whicn passed through tn
mile Of tunnel in less that q minute
made its appearance. ACHING Station
masteY Lorden cried ont warming, an
| the tracks were cleared in an instant b.
/ the ga.emen, ticket examiners an
= ushers. The engine passed through Oh
/ station in the twinhling OF an eye, nc
t leaving tine enough for the excitemer
3 which ensusd among the passengers ant
z it had passed. Il crossed the ama
bridge spanning Jones' falls below Ga
: vert street and took the straight track fc
3 Ualver. Station.
+ Striking into North street. at Madison
= around the short curve 1t gave heav
9 swing and nearly left the rails, but COZ
. tinued down North street to Uentr,
o where the lucky turn of the switch
Y Usbourn turned il away from the depo
j. where several trains were filling up wit
O passengers. Answering the switch Il
i, locomotive passed Purdy's engine, NJ
Il 20, striking IL glanoing blow, toariI
OF cylinder and smashing the COY
r catcher into kindling wood.
X Purdy and his fireman leaped fro
d their engine aud the runaway plung;
}. into CON- bination car 7i8 of the Bait
more 4 Potomac railroad, coupled wi
an express car of the Cincinnati u
Louis railroad, the two being part
l. teIesooped and driven into the rear WI
n of Gelson, Morris d Co.'s buildin
70 This house il on the north, west corn
10 of Franklin and North streets and fori
.. the south. east corner Of the block ooc
y pied by Calvert station and the AdaI
" Express Company's sheds. The rear
u the house is o boundary Of the raiiro
is yard. The express car, which W
pr nearest the building, was forced HI
o. way through the wall and into the me
T. refrigerators in the building Barrels
~ meat were knocked in every directi
u and the building shook with violence.
~ The shock derailed the engine, and
IN fell into shRpeless mass beside the raj
Go The tracks were torn up and twistt
When the smoke, steam aud dust clear
OF away large crowd Of people were
OF traoted ia short time. The express G
q Law half in the building perft
ne wreck. The brick wall was pierced n
On eedly Though, and timber, 10 by
IL inches, had crashed through the top
eil the car. The car, after pessing throu
u, one refrigerator, had burst through
ne 10 inch wooden partition into aeco
70 refrigerator. The ends OF the combi
" ton car and its trucks were mashed. !
on total damage will be about $40, 600.
10 Meanwhile there was another thrill
~ incident at Lafayette station, where
~ runaway engine started on Its W
eW career. The excited train Grew left
ue switch open, and express train No.
w which leaves Washington at 8. 10 o'clo
~ came along ana before the engin
"a could stop the train ran in upon the 6
w ing. In backing out to the main tr
N again q portion of the train e1tent
20 over on tine aouth. bound track.
OF then south-bound fast freight CO
along and plunged into the passen
"a, train, breaking open the sides OF the (
The seneer cGrs and wreoking Ave cars OF
~ freight train. The passengers were te
,ot bly, scared, but by almost marvellous x
m luck no one was injured. Both ira
ala were blocked and travel delayed
nd about Ave hours. II wan day of stir
der excitement for the railroad men arc
vas Baltimore.
of ------
ary CHEROKEE STEP B0OMERs'