The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-08
CLEAR GRIT ON THE RAILS.
Bright and Brief Stories of Strange
Accidents.

gather IN friendly companies. There are
few more heroic deeds than some of these.
Take this story in point:
On Oct. %, 1882, the 1:14 p. m. local train
of the Pennsylvania railroad left the Jersey
City depot as usual. Every car was
crowded. In the smoking car standing
room only was obtainable. The tender of
the engine was attached directly TO the
smoking car, with no freight car between.
Suddenly the door was burst violently
open. The engineer and the fireman rushed
in. Tongues Of fire followed them from
the tender.
In a moment everything was excitement.
The terrified passengers jumped up from
their seats. The fireman tried in vain to
reach the brake of the smoking car; there
was too great crush in the aisle. The en-
gineer said nothing; but, setting his teeth
hard, be sprang upon the tender aud
lunged back into the thick of the flames.
Presently the train slackened speed. On
the river bridge it stopped. Water was
hauled UP and cast over the flaming tender.
When the smoke cleared away the brave
engineer was found lying on the tank Of the
tender unconscious. He was taken to the
hospital, and died in a few days. He had
sacrificed himself to save the lives of his
passengers. Let US chronicle his name
Joseph A. Seed.
'BEN FRANKLIN" ON TARE.
Here is a story of another kind. The old
Long Island railroad had O single track,
with numerous switchings and turnings
One dark night. when the conductor was
taking three passenger cars through TO
Greenport, after travelling six or eight miles
he noticed the headlight of locomotive in
nOnlH
motive was rapidly gaining upon him. He
ordered the engineer to put on more steam.
Then followe wild chase through the
night. Pursuer and pursued tore
along at the highest speed. Show
ers of sparks fell from the
wheels. Every body on the cars believed
that che engineer Of the pursuing locomo-
tive was either drunk or asleep. At last q
bright idea struck the fireman. He re-
membered that a locomotive can make no
progress on greasy rails. The contents of
two huge cans of kerosene were poured
upon the track. The device proved success
full. Soon the headlight OF the pursurer
grew dim in the distance. Their train was
stopped and backed up to solve the mys-
terry.
A laughable sight was revealed.
There stood the old "Ben Franklin" puff
fing and snorting and paving like wild
bull, the driving-wheels buzzing around on
the creased track like.all possessed, but not
gaining an inch.
Sanding the track, they bore down on the
old machine. Not a sign OF engineer or
fireman was visible. There was a full head
Of steam on, but the fires were getting low
Pushing back to the next station with
the runaway engine, the conductor was
there handed dispatch informing him that
the "Ben Franklin" had broken loose, and
ordering him to switch it Off at Lakeland
and wreck it.
The oiled track, however, had saved the
ben Franklin" from destruction.
Locomotiverunawaysa are not uncommon.
Two engines once collided on track Of the
Boston and Maine railroad, in Tewksbury.
The shock opened the throttle valve of one
of them. The engineer had already jumped
down, and off went the locomotive like O
shot, headed for Lowell. Reaching the end
of the track at the Lowell station, it over
turned the bunker as though it were a mere
wisp of straw, went blowing through the
floor of the station for assistance of seventy
five feet, and entered the express office.
Crashing through the partition that separ-
ated the Office from the station quarters,
it wrecked one end Of the baggage room in
passing. At last it grated its head against
the brick wall which adjoined the public
sidewalk, and had torn out quite a section
before the floor gave way. Down plunged
the engine into the basement, emitting
clouds OF steam and sn oke, but now COM
paratIvely harmless.
A TRAIN BURIED IN SNOW.
Snow stories are always acceptable.
Did you ever hear the tale of how an OK
press train mysteriously disappeared in the
snow and was not found for two days This
occurred in 1880 in New Jersey. It was in
the month of December. A passenger train
started from PENIS Grove, on the Della
ware River railroad. Its objective point
was Woodbury., some twenty miles distant
When half the way had been made huge
snow drifts were encountered. The loco
motive bravely battled against them.
ploughing its way through light drifts,
which sometimes reached to the top of the
smokestack. Little Roadway, however,
could be made The coal on the tender was
being rapidly exhausted.
At last communication was opened with
the president OF the road. That gentleman
sent to the conductor the following dis
patch:
"Use all the fence rails you can lay your
hands on, if your coal gives out. Throw in
barn or two, if necessary. II that fails,
take all the pork offered at Sc per hundred.
Keep your steam up and come through at
This has rightly been characterized as a
plucky dispatch. But there was more pluck
to be shown in carrying out the Instruo-
tons than in wording then. They were
carried out, however, to the letter. Wood
bury was resched at 10 p. IN. A funeral
cortege had been waiting there for the train
since o'clock. Once the road had been
opened it was determined to keep it open.
At midnight the train started back. At 2
o'clock it stuck in a drift The telegraph
wire had blown down. A messenger was
sent across the fields asking for another en-
CINE. But the conductor had omitted to
state in his dispatch where he could be
found. so the powerful engine that was
sent out got lost In its turn. In fine, both
train and relief engine utterly disappeared
from view, and were finally discovered by
sleighs sent out for them.
On the evening of Dec. 6, 1882, an Englisa
train on the Little Feetiniog Mountain road
was lost Ia the snow. The train had come
to standstill in the dark of the evening,
and large quantities of snow had blown
over it, extinguishing the engines fires. In
some places the snow drifted depth of
twenty feet. Thirty-six hours passed be-
fore a relief force of 200 men, with shovels
and snow-plows. were able to dig out cars
aud passengers.
TWO GREAT MINDS AGREE