Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1893-05-11
ONE ENGINEERS EXPERIENCES.
He Has Killed Twenty-Five Persons, but Is
Regarded as Safe Man.

\ -
Regarded as a Safe Man.
"Iafayette Truman, engineer Of tho
Erie train that ran into the eastern
illinois train, has killed % men, said
CIR. Mccullough, a brother engineer
OF the Chicago and Erie road, at the
Clifton, but" he continued, lin no
case was he to blame, and in every
case he has been eXonerated by the
Jury. Most of these killings were at
railroad crossings and in other similar
accidents where the engineer could
not be held responsible. He is only
a Young man, but | want to relate
two experiences of his which show
him to be possessed of marvellous
presence of mind.
''In October, 1890, he was engineer
of train that was dashlng through
burning forests near Lima, o., at the
rate of Omiles an hour. That night
the sky was concealed by black storm
clouds, and before the burning dis
trict was reached the darkness from
the window of the cars seemed inn
pcnetrable. Then, as the train pro
ccedcd, tho horizon became hazlly
red. AS the train sped on nearer, the
blood red clouds appeared to be tum-
bling about unanimously, asst itwere
& sea of tice buffeted by angry winds.
Atlength the train seemingly plunged
into the heart of this forest of fire.
There was straight stretch OF
track continuing for seven miles. AS
Che train dashed along. the fire sprang
IN in sheets from cracking, falling
trees on either side, and above was a
canopy of shifting, eddying rcdsmoke
Down the track, beyond the reach Of
the headlight, there was only red
blur a bridge spanning a deep river
was ahead somewhere. Suddenly,
Immediately in front, Truman saw a
shower of big sparks fly upward. In
an instant he was reversing his en-
CINE, and the train was brought to Il
standstill just on the edge of the
river. 1t had flashed over him when
he saw the sparks that the bridge
was burning, and that a spar had
fallen, sending up as it went down
show of light lie saved the tram
and the lives of 500 passengers, There
is not one engineer in a thousand who
would have arrived at the conclusion
SO quickly that the additional transi-
tory light was from the bridge burn,
ing They would have supposed 1t
was an inconscquential part of the
phenomena and plunged on TO de
struction
THE other incident, while not SUI
rounded hy the popular herolike
aspect lent by the forest fire and the
run through II, was no less heroic
and showed a far greater presence OF
mind This was in Ohio, too, near
Hepburn His train this time was
running ut about the same rate, 60
miles AN hour, when the rods on each
side Of the engine broke instantly
killing the fireman and wrecking
the cab Truman, to save himself,
Juilpt'l llito lilC ''hutA' <hAiV 'llNio
he was isolated as it We're, the broken
rods flying madly and Deating deoten-
ingly, and 1t was impossible for him
to reach an airblake with the train
going at that speed, He is only a
young man, but he did something
then that many old engineers have
since told me they would never have
thought of lie got out his pocket
knife and cut the hose, thereby APP
plying the automatic brake, and sue
cccded in stopping the train. lwould
rather ride behind that man" con
cludcd Mr. Mccullough, than any
engineer in the United States. CHR
caGo Inter Ocean,