The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-06-02
A REAL HEROINE.
The Heroic Action of Brave Girl Pre-.
vented Serious Wreck.

= VI DOJOolU Wv lo4Oll VI UllO Ohh-
sylvania line. This road Rugged
the banks of the Susquehanna Riv-
er from end to end and there wasn't
a spot on the entire division of 10
miles that it wasn't almost sure
death to the train handsfor a train
to leave the rails.
Wrecks occurred on an average
of once a week, and were always
followed by severe fatalities. The
station Miss Ransom was located at
was near immense limestone quar-
ries wherein some half a hundred
Italians were employed. Aboutone
hundred yards above the station
was 100-foot trestle spanning a
small. stream at ordinary times, but
on the day in question greatly
swollen andvery swift asst emptied
into the river at that point.
A blast had just been fired of un-
usual force and an immense rock
landed directly 'on the trestle, tear
ing it apart in the center, the swift
water washing away the debris and
leaving a gap in the rails of about
twenty-fvefeet. Theriverwasvery
high at that point and the small
boats that were handycould not be
propelled against the swift current.
The nearest bridge on the little
stream over which the trestle was
stretched was some three miles dis
tant.
Miss Ransom saw the mischief
done by the rock and Immediately
rushed out and told the superin-
tendent of the italian gang to send
a man or go himself around the
wreck and stop a train that was due
from the north in about half an
hour. The superintendent was an
italian, with smattering of En-
glish, but who failed entirely to see
the gravity Of the situation. The
only wire that ran along the road
had been stretched on the trestle
for economy's sake and had been
broken with the trestle, so that nc
communication with the north
could be had. Miss Ransom triet
to tell the italian the true situation
but he only smiled and with shrue
Of his shoulders and q grimact
walked back into the quarry anC
resumed his overseeing.
Miss Ransom hesitated but mo
ment to ask if any one in fine Grove
could swim, and received a mega
tive answer, decided, with the ait
: Of a plank, to try crossing theriver
The Italians, in their impetuoui
way, tried to pursuade her not t
attempt theswollen waters, butwitl
the decision Of a true heroine VIII,
realized the danger the oncomin!
train was in, she cautiously pushed
} the plank into the water and with
quick movement followed it. Th
brave girl had entered the waite
] some distance above the broker
trestle in the hope of gaining tn
opposite shore before that poin
> should be reached, las to be carrie
! out into the river meant almost Gel
tain death. The Italians encoura
god her with shouts of praise, bu
endeavor as she would to work he
> way out of the current into mic
stream, buthttle Roadway was mad,
Down stream the brave girl wa
- carried with s#iftness that tol
. palmer than words that her strus
5 giles were fruitless. AS she neare
the broken trestle, inch by inch sh
I worked the plank over toward til
9 northern side, and as she was will
h in few feet of the structure sh
= abandoned the plank and struck o,
e with one forlorn hope Of reachin
It it unaided. Her strength and for,
S sightproved staunch qualification
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