The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-01-16
A pown-hill shoe.

A long, wild screech from locomo-
tive, laundering rumble, crash.
This is what disturbed the quiet of the
village Monday morning, and it was
soon rnmored about town that another
runaway train had caused week and
ruin ON the ID. s. S. g. A. railroad.
The accident occurred little before
ten o'clock. Freight No. 81 li,d come
into L'Anse station. and, Leaving o
part OF the train on the main track, the
enaine troi iefriy ritor car down to
the vilpge, bali mile distant, 10 I'M
load come meat. The "pushe," was
Standing on lie side track west ~ the
tank waiting for tue freight to clear,
when the continued screecl of COM
ing locomotive indicated runaway,
and the engineer Of the pusher, with
all possible has to, bs cked mp and coup
led on TO the freight md was moving it
ont to clear the track with almost IN
credible speed when, us the caboose
was about opposite the depot, the run
away caught him and in an instant the
wreck was complete.
The caboose and fosr empty box cars,
Thirteen fiat cars with 10000 feet Of
logs We're in shapeless mas III Fall
ri, en- Fall river bridge was o COM
plete wreck, the log cars having left the
track upon the collision, and dashed
through the bridge, while engine No
200, of the runaway train lay on her
side 100 feet from the depot disman-
tied and turned end for ID. The ten
der kept the track some distance far
Their and turned bottom up. The depot
escaped by narrow margin, the plat
form being carried away and the west
ern end of the depot being considerably
bruised by the flying t.mbcrs and iron.
Fortunately no one was hurt and
this may he accounted for by the pres
ence of mind OF the engineer of 200 in
tying down his whistle cord before aban-
doning the train. This gave the warn
ing that enabled all around the depot
to get out of the way.
I 1t Is altogether probable that no
accident would have occurred but for the
tblunder of the operator at L'Anse in
reporting freight No. 81 as cleared.
The orders were to hold the log train
at Summit until 81 was out OF the way.
Had this been done there would have
been no collision, and the log train,
from all appearances, would have kept
flie track.
X No. 81 having been reported cleared,
the log train consisting of Ii loaded cars
and caboose, seven of which were sup
piled with air brakes, started out from
Summit bat before Taylor Junction was
reached the train had attained sucll
velocity that the engineer knew it would
be impossible to control the train. He
ordered his firemen back to the caboose,
tied q wrench to the whistle cord and
started back himself. But log train
under such motion is not an easy one
to climb, and he found considerable
difficulty in reaching the caboose, be-
sides having to assist the fireman who
was badly ratified and could not reach
it alone. But they finally arrived in
safety AMI cut it off just. in time to save
the train crew UNNAMED.
Supt. Philbin was soon on the ground
with wrccking train and crew clearing
the debris, but the bridge having been
carried away, IL was not until Wednes-
day that trains passed through to
Houghton on their regular time. In
the meantime passenger trains backed
down to the village and transferred by
teams to point west OF Fall River, re-
minding old settlers Of early days when
this was the terminus OF the road.
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