The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-12

by the time they had set several
brakes and reversed the engine, the con-
ductor learned that the forward part of
the train held his two brallcmcn. You
idiots" he cried, that train will start
backwards ard no power hercabouts
can stop its career until it turns bottom
side up somewhere in the yards"
On the run started the conductor and
his crew around the curve between two
high bluffs, aad when ten minutes later
they stood Mt The top of straight
stretch of down-gradc track, they turned
very pale and looked one at the other,
pretty much in the way l fancy two
telegraph operators might look after
signaling IL train wrong and knowing
that there would soon be disaster
This was what they looked upon:
Scooting down the track, laundering
over culverts, high-trcstlc bridges, and
ut times seemingly to lift clear of tho
iron rails. was the hind section of the
train on its unbiddcn way to Peoria.
The break of a link occurred about
five miles out, and ut the rate the cars
were going it would only be n few min
utcs before the railway yards, the
shops, the round-houscs and the passcr-
ger depot would be reached by the run
away.
GOOD heavens, there were scores OF
switch engines, any number of passen-
ger trains being switched about the
yards, and all unconscious of the on
coming train. l was an nttachc of the
road ut that time, and was up at the
shops on business when the shrill
Shrek of Il little shifting engine stand
ing in front of the round-house called
everyone outside.
1t was thrilling sight. The red ca
boosc leading and rocking until it
seemed impossible for it to stick to the
rails. On the roof of the second car
back of the caboose was man, his
white face and terrified expression
chilling the blood and causing more
than one hardened railroadcr to turn
away sick and weak with fear.
There wasn't any earthly power
could add many minutes to the span of
ON lland' Thompson's life here below
Then the rushing, flying cars like
spcctcrs swept past the shops and down
Water street toward the depot. The
lucky little ''grasshoppcr," as the small
or switch engines were called in those
days, had had time to get in on n side
track and throw the switch back for
the main line, but it was pretty
white looking engineer that sat mo-
tionless in his cab watching the run
away sweep on.
Farther down in the yards, near the
big beer brewery, was large shift
ing engine, with Il crew sitting on the
cowcatchcr lazily putting along Hap
pcning to look up the head switchman
saw the oncoming cars, heard the
shrill blasts of warning from all the
engines up ut the Rock Island road
shops. and with a yell, Il curse and Il
scramble he was on his way down the
little dcclivity towards the Illinois
river, or Peoria lake. us it is called
Luckily the engineer and fireman Of
the shifting engine heard the yell and
they fell, rather than sprang, from the
cab, rolling TO the foot of the cmbanlz
ment and then tearing along out of
dangers way
There isn't much more to tell. Old
railway men said it was little bit the
worst wreck they had ever seen. The
caboosc struck the shifting engine.
there was a report, n roar OF escaping
steam, pieces flying through the air,
then the entire mass of debris, splin-
tered cars, gnarled iron running gear.
wheels. pieces of boiler, and some
where mixed up with the rest, bits of
ION Hand" Thompson. Six cars and
the engine rolled over and over clear to
the edge of the lake. and there was n
hurrying of railroaders and the search
began for the man seen moment be