Smyrna times., 1890-05-21
Wreck on the Delaware Railroad
ESCAPE ORA CANAL BoATMAl

ESCAPE OF A CANAL BoATMAN.
On May | :, 1889, train Of freight
cars ran off the drawbridge at Laurel
The anniversary of that wreck was
marked by an exactly similar accident
at the draw5ridge over the Delaware
and Chesapeake Canal about two miles
south of Kirkwood.
Monday evening heavily ladened
north bound freight train, No. 20, was
making rapid time in an endeavOr to
reach Kirkwood and clear south bound
passenger train, No. 81, due there at
731 Conductor Dawson, possibly ap-
preciating that there was danger in the
speed he was making, was riding in
the engine with engineer Tuchston
and fireman Lucas. At 7.20 when it
was too dark to see a red flag, and yet
not dark enough for a red lantern to
show at its best, TuchstOn saw the dan
ger signal within half mile
of the draw. He blew for brakes. But
it is slightly down grade at that part
of the road. Somehow" he said. the
brakes didn't take hold. | reversed
the engine, put sand on the track, ard
all that She slowed up, but not in
time. told the fireman to jump. |
stayed aboard myself until within
few feet of the draw. Moving slowly
| the engine went over. l guess about
nine cars followed her" Fireman
Lucas fully corroborated the engineers
account.
Passenger train No. 81 passed Kirk
wood and ran to within three hundred
yards of the draw. She was stopped
by the danger signal, and, picking up
the wrecked conductor, backed to
KirkwOOd, and wired news of the
wreck to the train dispatcher at Clay.
ton. The passengers had to wait with
what patience they could command
until the track could be cleared and
the draw worked. They got of from
| KirkwOod about two o'clock Tuesday
morning.
When the freight train rushed into the
open draw, six canal barges were 20
ing through. Three had passed. The
engine and wrecked cars piled up on
the fourth which was loaded with coal
In the cabin of the fifth barge, which
was within few feet of the one sunk
by the wreck, were a woman and five
little children. A man named Kutch
with his son Ira, aged ten, was on the
barge which was struck, The story
of his escape and the rescue Of Ira
is marvellous. His account of it Is a:
follows:
"The light showed viii te for US am
red for the cars. We went ahead
Three barges had passed the bridge
We were slowly going through. Ir;
said Look how fast the cars are com
ing / saw at once that they must fal
on us. Calling to him to follow,
rushed to the front of the boat. The
engine leaped owe: my head a little be
hind me as l ran, and struck on he
nose iD the edge of the canal She
leaned over on the barge. The cars cam,
tumbling down. When | got to tn,
bow found the boy had not followed
me. He had lodged into the cabir
{ thinking il a place of safety. hasten
ed back. Cars were falling all about
ira was in the cabin which had filled
with water. H was about to drown
got hold of his coat and pulled hin
out Somehow we got safely ashore
/ do not really understand why w
were not both killed."
Looking at the broken and splin
tered cars piled thirty feet high on tn
barge, it is difiicultto believe that any
, one aboard could have escaped bu
#. boatman on other barges corroborate
, Kutch's account.
Several cars remained on the track
! one hanging half way over the Opei
I draw. The wrecked train was loade
! with miscellaneous freight, much of
/. perishable One car that tumble
. down was loaded with lambs an
calves-strange to say many of theI
were not killed by their so foot fal
! Though there were no lives lost, tn
: accident will cost the railroad, it
said, nearly 100000